A vital step in keeping your heart strong and healthy.

At CASL Health, a stress test helps us see how your heart performs when it’s working harder than usual — something that might reveal heart problems not noticeable when you’re at rest. This test is an important tool for finding concerns like coronary artery disease, irregular heart rhythms, or early signs of heart failure.

During the test, we’ll carefully monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, and heart rhythm (ECG) while you either walk on a treadmill, pedal a stationary bike, or take medication that mimics the effects of exercise if physical activity isn’t an option.

Why We Do It
A stress test can help:

• Diagnose heart conditions such as blocked arteries, arrhythmias, or heart failure.
• Check your recovery after a heart attack, surgery, or procedure.
• Evaluate treatment effectiveness for medications or other therapies.
• Set safe activity levels for exercise or rehabilitation.

Types of Stress Tests

• Exercise Stress Test: Walking on a treadmill or riding a bike while we track your heart’s response to increasing intensity.
• Medication (Chemical) Stress Test: Medication safely stimulates your heart to act like it’s exercising for those unable to be active.
• Nuclear Stress Test: Uses a safe, small amount of tracer and a special camera to see blood flow in your heart before and after exercise.
• Stress Echocardiogram: Combines ultrasound images with exercise or medication to see how your heart muscle and valves respond under stress.

What to Expect
You’ll wear comfortable clothes and shoes, and we’ll place small sticky patches (electrodes) on your skin to record your heart’s electrical activity. We’ll monitor you closely while gradually increasing the workload on your heart. Most tests last about an hour, but you’ll only be active for 10–15 minutes. You can return to normal activities shortly after your test.

Possible Sensations
Exercise stress test: Mild shortness of breath, fatigue, or temporary chest tightness.
Medication stress test: Warm flushing, headache, or dizziness — usually gone within minutes.

When We Might Recommend a Stress Test

• Chest pain, irregular heartbeats, or shortness of breath
• Abnormal ECG results
• High risk for heart disease (such as smoking, diabetes, or high blood pressure)