Treadmill Stress ECG

Treadmill Exercise ECG is usually done with a computerized treadmill unit which controls the motor speed of the treadmill as well as monitors the ECG. ECG is recorded periodically during the test in addition to documenting any specific events like arrhythmias. Ideally treadmill test is done in a basal state so that the process of digestion of food and consequent increase in cardiac output does not interfere with the assessment. If it is a diagnostic test, the individual should be off medications. But if it is for assessment of effort tolerance while on treatment, it may be done on medications. Though various protocols like Naughton and ramp protocol are in vogue, the popular one is Bruce protocol. There is also a Modified Bruce protocol for those with lower functional capacity or for early post infarction evaluation. Standard Bruce protocol has seven 3 minute stages. In stage I the gradient is 10% and it rises 2% per stage. The starting speed is 1.7 mph and increases in increments of 0.8 to 0.9 mph per stage. In Modified Bruce protocol, stage I has a gradient of zero and stage II a gradient of 5%. Speed is the same in the first 3 stages of Modified Bruce protocol (1.7 mph). Stage 3 of Modified Bruce protocol is equivalent to Stage I of standard Bruce protocol. Further stages are similar to Bruce protocol, though the number of the stage will be higher by a magnitude of 2. Treadmill exercise test ECG series starts with the pretest ECG and recordings in every stage of exercise a...
Source: Cardiophile MD - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: General Cardiology Source Type: blogs