Results of your stress test

All of the information gathered from your stress test including images, ECG tracings, blood pressure readings, symptoms, etc., will be reviewed and reported by a St. Charles Heart and Lung Center cardiologist within 24 hours of your test. The results from your test will be sent to your ordering physician and other health care providers you request.

To find out the results of your stress test, please contact your ordering or primary care physician after three business days from your test. Many physician’s offices will contact you once they have your results, or they may have an appointment already scheduled to review your results and care plan.

What to avoid

Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, stop taking any beta blocker or calcium channel blocker medications the day before and the day of your test. Below is a comprehensive list of medications to avoid.

Beta blockers

Calcium channel blockers

Preparing for your test

• Tell your doctor about any medicines (including over-the-counter medications, herbs and vitamins) you take. He or she may ask you not to take them before the test. Don’t stop taking them unless instructed to.
  • Unless otherwise instructed by your doctor, stop taking any beta blocker or calcium channel blocker medications the day before and the day of your test.
    • View a comprehensive list of beta blocker and calcium channel blocker medications.
  • If you use an inhaler for your breathing, bring it with you to the test.
• Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing and walking shoes with rubber soles. Shorts or sweatpants and jogging or tennis shoes are good choices.
• If you are scheduled for a Nuclear Stress Test, follow the above directions and the additional directions below:
  • It is absolutely necessary to avoid all caffeinated items for the entire day prior to your test and the day of your test. These include coffee and tea (including decaf), caffeinated sodas, chocolate, cocoa and certain pain medications that contain caffeine, such as Excedrine, Anacin, Midol, Fiorinal, etc. Please read the labels. If you have any additional questions about caffeine, please call. Caffeine can impact the accuracy of your test.
  • You are asked not to eat solid foods for four hours prior to your test. Please come well hydrated. You may have water, apple juice, cranberry juice or other clear, non-caffeinated liquids up to the time of your test.
    • Diabetic patients: If you take insulin to control your blood sugar, discuss with your doctor to determine how much insulin you should take the day of the test.
    • Please bring a light snack with you. Once the stress portion of the test is completed, you may eat.

Heart disease and stress tests

Stress testing provides information about how well your heart works during physical stress. Some heart problems are easier to diagnose when your heart is working hard and beating fast.

Stress testing at St. Charles Heart and Lung Center is conducted under the supervision of a cardiologist and performed by a registered nurse and trained technicians.

Why do you need a stress test? Your doctor uses the stress test to:

• Determine if there is adequate blood flow to your heart during increasing levels of activity
• Evaluate the effectiveness of your heart medications to control angina and ischemia
• Determine the likelihood of having coronary heart disease and the need for further evaluation
• Check the effectiveness of procedures done to improve blood flow within the heart vessels in people with coronary heart disease
• Identify abnormal heart rhythms
• Help you develop a safe exercise program

There are many different types of stress tests, including:

• Treadmill Stress Test: For this test, you walk on a treadmill at increasing levels of difficulty, while your electrocardiogram, heart rate and blood pressure are monitored.
• Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram: This test is used in people who are unable to exercise. A drug is given to make the heart respond as if the person were exercising. This way the doctor can still determine how the heart responds to stress, but no exercise is required.
• Stress Echocardiogram: This test is similar to a Treadmill Stress Test. You will have echocardiogram images of your heart before and after you walk on the treadmill.
• Nuclear Exercise Stress Test: This test is similar to a Treadmill Stress Test, with the addition of an injection of a small amount of a radioactive substance to better visualize the heart tissue at rest and after exercise.
• Nuclear Lexiscan Stress Test: This test is similar to a Nuclear Exercise Stress Test, and is used for people who are unable to exercise. Lexiscan, is used to chemically stress the heart in a way that mimics actual exercise.

Cardiac ablation helps treat arrhythmia

Cardiac ablation is a procedure using either heat or extreme cold to correct an abnormal heartbeat, also known as an arrhythmia. 

Cardiac ablation works by scarring or destroying tissue in your heart that triggers or sustains an abnormal heart rhythm. In some cases, cardiac ablation prevents abnormal electrical signals from entering your heart -- stopping the arrhythmia altogether.

How does cardiac ablation treat my arrhythmia?

Your cardiovascular care team at St. Charles Heart and Lung Center will work together to determine if a cardiac ablation procedure is right for you. 

During the procedure, your electrocardiologist at St. Charles guides long, flexible tubes inserted through a vein or artery in your groin to your heart to deliver energy in the form of heat or extreme cold (known as cryoablation) to correct the tissues that are causing the arrhythmia.

Although cardiac ablation can be done during open-heart surgery, it’s often performed using catheters, making the procedure less invasive and shortening recovery times. You may be able to go home the same day as your procedure, or you may need to stay in the hospital.

To learn more about St. Charles Heart and Lung Center in Bend or to schedule an appointment, please call us at 541-388-4333.

What is WATCHMAN?

The WATCHMAN device is a small implant placed into the heart that can reduce the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation. Patients with atrial fibrillation are at increased risk of stroke, mainly due to clots that form in a small chamber in the top of the heart known as the left atrial appendage (LAA).

Concerned about your bleeding risk?

If you have atrial fibrillation and you take a blood thinner to reduce your stroke risk, you’re probably aware of the bleeding risks that come with your medication. A procedure to seal off your LAA can reduce your risk of stroke and eliminate the need to take blood-thinning medication.

What can I expect during my WATCHMAN procedure at St. Charles?

Once you are referred to the St. Charles Structural Heart team by your cardiologist, our team works together to perform diagnostic and pre-procedure testing. We then collaborate on a multidisciplinary review of your case to determine if the WATCHMAN procedure your health and well-being. 

During a one-time procedure, the structural heart team at St. Charles will implant a parachute-shaped, self-expanding about the size of a quarter into the left atrial appendage of your heart via a small cut in your upper leg. 

The device is designed to permanently close the LAA, preventing blood clots from escaping and causing strokes. The implant procedure takes an hour and patients are typically released home the following day.

Restoring healthy hearts

When you need help with a heart valve replacement or repair, our team of structural heart experts is here to help restore your heart to good health, and a future filled with possibilities. 

If you think you may be suffering from a structural heart condition, please consult your cardiologist or primary care doctor right away and learn how St. Charles can help.

What is MitraClip?

MitraClip is a procedure for treating mitral regurgitation, a condition in which the mitral valve fails to close completely and blood leaks backward into your heart. Left untreated, mitral regurgitation places an extra burden on your heart and lungs, and your heart may have to work harder to function normally.

Do I have mitral regurgitation?

Symptoms of mitral regurgitation may include: 

• Fatigue or inability to exercise

• Decreased appetite

• Dry, hacking cough that is often worse lying down

• Shortness of breath

• Fainting

• Fluids accumulating in feet, ankles or lungs

Can the MitraClip procedure help me?

During a MitraClip procedure, a small device is attached to your mitral valve, allowing it to close completely and restore normal blood flow through your heart. Less invasive than traditional open-heart surgery, your cardiac surgeon will access the mitral valve with a thin tube that is guided through a vein in your leg. Most patients are released from the hospital within two to three days, and experience improvement in quality of life soon after. 

At the St. Charles Heart and Lung Center, our multidisciplinary group of medical and surgical heart specialists work together and with each individual patient in our care to determine if a MitraClip procedure is the best treatment option.

What is TAVR?

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is a minimally invasive procedure to replace a narrowed aortic valve that fails to open properly, known as aortic valve stenosis. 

This narrowing prevents the valve from opening fully, which obstructs blood flow from your heart into your aorta and onward to the rest of your body, resulting in chest pain, fainting, fatigue, leg swelling and shortness of breath.

TAVR can relieve the signs and symptoms of aortic valve stenosis and may help those who can't undergo surgery or who have a high risk of surgical complications.

Is TAVR right for me?

During a TAVR procedure, a heart valve is inserted through the groin without -- eliminating the need to open up a patient’s chest or put them under general anesthesia. Most of our patients who undergo a TAVR procedure return home the next day. 

At St. Charles, our decision to treat aortic stenosis with TAVR is made after consultation with our multidisciplinary team of medical and surgical heart specialists who together determine the best treatment options for your individual needs. 

What is structural heart?

Structural heart disease is an umbrella term that covers vascular defects of the heart. Structural heart procedures include heart valve repair and replacement that can be performed through small tubes known as catheters. 

Some heart conditions that fall under structural heart disease include: 

• Mitral valve regurgitation -- A condition in which one of the valves of the heart, the mitral valve,  allows blood to leak backward into the heart. 

• Aortic valve stenosis -- A valve in the heart, the aortic valve, that has narrowed and fails to open properly. 

• Atrial Fibrillation -- A quivering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

What are my treatment options?

At St. Charles, our nationally-recognized structural heart team perform a number of cutting-edge, minimally invasive heart valve procedures, including: 

• TAVR (Transcathether Aortic Valve Replacement)

• MitraClip (Transcathether Mitral Valve Repair)

• WATCHMAN device

What can I expect if I’m referred to the structural heart team at St. Charles?

The St. Charles Structural Heart team is a multidisciplinary team of providers that include an interventional cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, structural heart PA, and additional clinical stuff. This coordinated team of providers work together to ensure your cardiovascular care is streamlined and comprehensive. 

Once you are referred to the St. Charles Structural Heart team by your cardiologist, our team works together to perform diagnostic and pre-procedure testing. We then collaborate on a multidisciplinary review of your case to determine the best course of action for your health and well-being. 

Following your procedure, your structural heart team at St. Charles keeps close tabs on your recovery. With follow-up appointments scheduled at 10 days, one month and one year, it is our goal is to improve your heart’s function while minimizing your symptoms and avoiding future complications.

EKGs help diagnose heart problems at St. Charles Bend

Physicians rely on a variety of medical test options to help them accurately diagnose and monitor heart conditions. One of the more fundamental cardiac tests available in determining if someone has developed heart disease is an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG). At the St. Charles Heart and Lung Center in Central Oregon our doctors use EKGs to clarify if patients may be experiencing heart attack, irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) or coronary artery disease.

An EKG is a safe, painless and routine procedure. While electrodes attached to your chest may feel cold, there is no electricity being sent through your body. The most common test is a standard, or resting, EKG that measures the heart’s electrical activity while you lie down or are semi-reclined. Stress tests that involve exercise — often conducted on a treadmill but sometimes induced by medicine that simulates exercise — can give physicians a better assessment of how your heart is affected by exercise. And, in some cases, cardiologists might want to conduct a 24-hour EKG through a Holter monitor — a battery powered heart rate monitoring device that records your EKG on a continuous basis, most often to determine if you have an arrhythmia.

Electrocardiogram excellence in Central Oregon

In many cases, your primary care physician will be the one initially ordering an EKG, especially if you have chest pains or feel palpitations. If you are scheduled for surgery, your doctor may order an EKG to get a current gauge on your heart status. Other doctors who order the test include ER doctors, cardiologists, cardiac surgeons, interventional cardiologists and thoracic surgeons. Cardiologists normally provide final interpretation of test results.

The test itself cannot detect future heart issues that may arise, but EKGs provide doctors with two measurements in assessing a heart’s health: one that defines how long it takes an electrical wave to pass through the heart, and a second that measures the electrical activity amount passing through the heart to determine if it may be working too hard or is enlarged. Through EKG, doctors are looking to conclude:

• If your heart is beating too fast (tachycardia), too slow (bradycardia) or irregularly (arrhythmias)
• Whether your heart may be enlarged or thickened (cardiomyopathy)
• If there is any damage to your heart due to heart attack, coronary artery disease or congenital heart defects
• What size your heart chambers are and how they are positioned
• How well devices used to control your heartbeat, or medicines you take, are working
• Whether you may have valve disease or pericarditis

Talk with your doctor about why you might need an EKG

The good news is that if you have to undergo an EKG, you are likely to know the results the same day it is performed, and whether you may need to arrange other tests or procedures. If you want to learn more about the St. Charles Heart and Lung Center in Bend or need to schedule an appointment, please call us today at 541-388-4333.

EKG services are just one of many ways that cardiologists and other specialists at the St. Charles Heart and Lung Center effectively diagnose and treat heart problems in Central Oregon.