A treadmill test is an advanced preventive screening for detecting heart disease. A TMT helps assess how well your heart responds during times when it is working the hardest. At TEATREE Healthcare, we are well-resourced with cutting-edge equipment and expert lab personnel to conduct a treadmill test efficiently.
What is a TMT?
A treadmill test (TMT) or cardiac stress test helps determine how far your heart can go before an abnormal rhythm or blood flow to the heart muscle drops. It helps your doctor know how your heart responds on being pushed. You will be asked to walk on a treadmill, and the difficulty level will be gradually increased. Throughout, your ECG, heart rate and blood pressure are tracked to assess heart health.
How is a TMT conducted?
You will be first connected to an ECG (hyperlink to ECG). Before you begin exercising, the technician will perform an ECG to measure your heart rate while the body is at rest and also take your blood pressure. Then you will begin to exercise by walking on a treadmill. The difficulty level or rate of activity will be steadily increased. At regular intervals, the lab staff will ask how you are feeling. Let them know if you are experiencing chest or arm discomfort, dizziness, short of breath, lightheaded or any other unusual symptoms. It is normal for your blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate and perspiration to increase during the treadmill stress test. The lab staff will also be continuously monitoring your ECG for anything that suggests that the test should be stopped. After the test, you will walk for a couple of minutes more to cool down. The lab staff will continue to monitor your ECG, blood pressure and heart rate until the levels normalise.
How can I prepare for a TMT?
This test takes about 25-30 minutes of which the exercise time is 7-12 minutes and needs a bit of preparation:
Carry your jogging attire and shoes along
Avoid having a heavy meal before the test
Consult your doctor regarding the medication you take; you may be asked to temporarily discontinue the medication for a few days before the test
How does a TMT help?
A TMT helps in:
- Assessing unexplained but steady chest pain and determine if the cause is coronary artery disease
- Assessing if there are abnormal heart rhythms
- Evaluating the effectiveness of therapy or medication for chest pain or irregular heartbeat
- Checking whether sufficient blood flows to your heart as you get more active
- Checking how well your heart valves are working
- Checking whether the arteries have re-narrowed after angioplasty, especially if there is chest pain or other symptoms
- Detecting if symptoms such as fainting, palpitations or dizziness are related to heart disease
- Determining the ability of the heart to withstand exercise in persons who have heart disease, have had a heart attack or heart surgery
- Developing a safe exercise routine
- Screening for CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) in a person with no symptoms, especially if the individual is prone to CAD
TEATREE Healthcare Support
At TEATREE Healthcare, we use advanced equipment and follow rigorous procedures to ensure that every TMT result is accurate. Our extremely competent physicians, surgeons, cardiologists, anaesthesiologists, internists, cardiac electrophysiologists, nurses and lab staff are extremely alert to the needs of our patients and take every possible measure to make you comfortable during the test
