Patients who have blockages in their coronary artery sometimes do not display too many symptoms while resting. Exposing the heart to some exercise can make evident the symptoms of underlying heart ailments. Your doctor might recommend that you go in for a treadmill test if you have shortness of breath and fatigue that is unexplained. The primary aim of the test is to check for irregular heart beats that are induced by exercise, to evaluate the response of blood pressure to exercise especially if you suffer from borderline hypertension, and if your risk factors for Coronary Heart disease are significant.
You have to go to an exercise laboratory to perform a treadmill test. Your blood pressure and heart rate are measured while at rest. The EKG part of the machine used for the stress test is attached to electrodes which are attached to your shoulders, chest, and hips. The treadmill monitor constantly displays three EKG leads.
This test requires that the individual walks on a treadmill while an electrocardiograph monitors his or her heart. Before, during, and after the exercise your doctor monitors your volumes of ventilation and exchange of respiratory gases. Most patients tolerate this physical activity as adjustments can be made to the speed and inclination of the treadmill. This multilevel treadmill test helps in the detection of chest pain and any sort of discomfort in patients. It is also used to detect evidences of heart diseases.
A slow warm-up speed is used when the treadmill is started. A preprogrammed protocol is used to change the inclination of the treadmill as well as increase the speed. The speed and slope of the treadmill is dictated by this protocol.
A treadmill test protocol that is popularly used to evaluate the cardiac function and fitness of individuals is the Bruce Protocol, aptly named after its developer Robert A. Bruce. There was no protocol that was safe and standardized before this to monitor the cardiovascular fitness of individuals. The Two-Step Test by Master, which was sparingly used, was found to be tiring by many patients and it was not enough to assess the circulatory and respiratory function when the amount of exercise was varied. Dr. Bruce and Dr. Paul Yu started working on the treadmill exercise test to address these issues.
In addition to the Bruce treadmill test protocol, there are protocols such as Naughton Balke and Astrand. These protocols are perfectly acceptable as well.