We get this statement a lot before we start an exam and don't worry you need this test, trust us and your doctor.
When you do a traditional treadmill stress test you look at your medical history, a 12 lead EKG, vital signs, and how long you went on the the treadmill to try and predict the likelihood of having a cardiac event at your age. This is an educated guess given all the relevant information based upon past information and patients who fit your medical condition. We can't see inside your body to know exactly what is going on.
Have you ever heard of someone passing away weeks after having a stress test at a doctor, or you hear about the marathon runner that suddenly passed away. That's because they only had a normal EKG stress test, not a nuclear stress test.
Think of your heart is like a house. When you buy a house you do an inspection on that house. You want to know about all the systems. The electrical, the plumbing, doors, foundation, etc. Would you buy a house by just looking at the electrical system and not the plumbing?........of course not!!!!!
So it is possible that your electrical system is completely fine and your plumbing system is a mess and blocked up. This is why it is so important to have every test to get the complete picture of your heart.
The nuclear test will show us the plumbing of your heart, but we will also be capturing a 12 lead EKG during the test and being able to look at the electrical system also. The last test that you should get is an echocardiogram of your heart and this will help your doctor see your valves (the doors) of your heart / house.
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