When are the results of heart scan available?

As soon as the procedure is done, the coronary calcium score is calculated. The results are usually available immediately after the procedure. If your coronary calcium is high, you will be told to change your lifestyle . in some cases, you maybe told to undergo a coronary angiogram to properly assess the degree of narrowing in the coronary vessels. However, consumers should understand that the heart scan is not 100% sensitive for coronary disease. The test may be negative and you may still have coronary disease. On the other hand, the test may show calcium but that does not mean you have heart disease.

What type of preparation is required prior to a heart scan?

Outpatient centers that offer heart scans usually require no preparation. However reputable doctors usually obtain a history, perform a physical exam. A blood test to asses renal function and blood cholesterol may be done in some patients. The heart scan only takes a few minutes. You lie down on a table and the machine quickly takes images of your heart. If there is calcium in your blood vessels, it shows up as white spots. With a Ct angiogram, you will be administered a dye into your vein,-again the whole process does not take more than 10-15 minutes. After the procedure, you can resume your daily living activities.

Is there a risk from a heart scan?

The major risk of heart scans is the amount of radiation exposure. Thus, numerous heart scans are not recommended. Excess exposure to radiation can increase the risk of cancer. In addition, the dye use for a CT scan can induce kidney failure or cause an allergy in some people.

Who is a candidate for a heart scan?

In general, if you are at very high or very low risk for heart attack, the heart scan is not recommended. A heart scan is best suited for individuals with intermediate risk of a heart attack. This is usually a patient in between ages 55-65, with borderline elevations in blood sugar or cholesterol. In addition, the patient may be a smoker. A heart scan is also useful in patients who develop chest pain but the cause is not known.

What is a heart scan?

Heart scans are also known as calcium scans. This radiology technique provides images of the blood vessels that supply the heart. The heart scan is able to detect the amount of calcium deposited on the coronary vessels. It is believed that the calcium deposition is related to the narrowing of the coronary blood vessels. Hence the higher the calcium, the greater the degree of narrowing of the blood vessels.

The heart scan has a computer, which analyses the calcium and calculates the “coronary calcium score.” Heart scans may identify people who are at a risk for developing a heart attack or anginal attacks. Consumers should understand that heart scans are not recommended for routine screens and not meant for everyone with heart disease.

What do the results of a nuclear stress test usually indicate?

The stress test can reveal if you have normal heart function at rest and exercise. In some cases, the test may show normal blood flow to the heart during rest but not during exercise. Alternatively, there could be low blood flow both at rest and exercise. If the dye is not able to get to parts of you heart, this may indicate permanent injury like from a prior myocardial infarct. In general, if you do not have enough blood flow to the heart, you will need to undergo a coronary angiography- a test that can look at the exact anatomy of the heart blood vessels. If severe blockages are seen, the doctor may opt to open them with balloon angioplasty and/or stents. If there are many blockages, you may require open-heart surgery.

How is a nuclear stress test done?

You will be asked to remain fasting for 2-4 hours prior to the test; you may take your medications with a sip of water. Loose comfortable clothes should be worn on the day of the test.

The test is usually done in a radiology suite. Before the test, electrodes will be hooked on your body so that the ECG can be recorded. You blood pressure will also be monitored during the test.

When you arrive for your nuclear stress test, your doctor asks you about your medical history and how often you typically exercise. This helps determine the amount of exercise that's appropriate for you during the stress test.You will then be asked to exercise on a treadmill or a stationary bike. The incline on the treadmill will gradually increase. In general, you will be asked to exercise for 8-12 minutes or until your heart rate has reached a certain target or develop symptoms such as chest pain, dizziness, abnormal heart rate, high or low blood pressure or shortness of breath. If at anytime you feel uncomfortable, you can stop.

When you reach the maximum level of exercise a radioactive tracer will be injected into your blood stream through an IV. The dye will then be traced with the use of an x-ray machine. After the exercise, you will be allowed to rest for 2-4 hours and a second set of x-rays will be obtained. Again the dye will be injected and images obtained at rest. The images obtained at exercise and rest will be compared.

After the test, you will be allowed to go home and can resume all your daily living activities.

Are there any risks associated with a nuclear stress test?

In general, the test is safe and complications are uncommon. However, like any medical procedure the test does carry a risk of complications, which may include:

-       Allergy to the dye that is injected into the hand.

-       Low blood pressure or dizziness may occur during exercise. This complication will reverse when exercise is discontinued.

-       Abnormal heart rhythms may occur during exercise. In some cases, the arrhythmias may be serious and the test may need to be discontinued

-       Rarely a heart attack may occur during the test.

-       Some patients may develop chest pain of a flushing sensation. In such cases a medication will be given to you to reverse the symptoms.

What is a nuclear stress test?

A nuclear stress test is a cardiology procedure that can measure blood flow to the heart at rest and during exercise. The test utilizes an injection of a radionuclide tracer and x-ray images are obtained. The test can reveal muscle damage and areas where blood flow is diminished. The test can also reveal the size of the heart and its function. A nuclear stress test is often recommended in patients with chest pain, unexplained shortness of breath or if coronary artery disease is suspected. This test can help guide future treatment.