Q: How long will the isotope be in my system?
A. It has a half-life of 6hrs every 6hrs it decays down. It’ll be out of your system by the following morning.
Q. Will persantine make my heart beat out of my chest?
A. No, persantine is a vasodilator it is going to dilate all the blood vessels throughout the body. Iit may cause chest pain, pressure or tightness, headache or flushed feeling, but it won’t make your heart feel like it’s beating out of your chest.
Q. Is the isotope iodine?
A. No it’s a radioactive isotope; it allows the camera to take the images of the heart
Q: How long will I have to walk on the treadmill?
A: Until you reach your target heart rate.
Q: How is the target heart rate determined?
A: Your target heart rate is determined by subtracting your age from 220.
Q: How long does it take to reach my target heart rate?
A: It is different for every person, it usually takes anywhere from 6 to 10 minutes to attain your target heart rate.
Q: Will I fall off of the treadmill?
A: No, you will not fall off. We have an emergency stop button in case you cannot keep up with the treadmill.
Q: What is the doctor looking for on the exercise tolerance stress test?
A: The doctor is looking for any changes in your electrocardiogram.
For additional information visit :
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging
and
Nuclear Medicine
