Analyze heart function at rest and without physical exertion.
Approximately 1 hour.
Fasting (no solids or liquids) for 4 hours before the exam.
No caffeine for 48 hours before the exam (caffeine is found particularly in coffee, tea, chocolate and soft drinks).
With their treating physician's authorization, patients must stop taking the following beta blockers 48 hours before the exam:
- acebutolol (Sectral®)
- atenolol (Tenormin®)
- bisoprolol (Monocor®)
- carvedilol (Coreg®)
- metropolol (Lopressor®)
- nadolol (Corgard®)
With their treating physician's authorization, patients must stop taking the following calcium blockers 48 hours before the exam:
- diltiazem (Cardizem®, Tiazac®)
- verapamil (Isoptin®, Chronovera®)
Bring a full (updated) list of medications
Before the ultrasound, a resting electrocardiogram is taken. The exam is conducted while patients are lying down. The medical imaging technologist takes a series of ultrasound images of the heart before injecting a medication that will gradually accelerate the heart rate. Many series of images are then taken until the target heart rate is reached. The medication is stopped, and patients can leave once their heart rate has returned to normal.
On rare occasions, patients can experience palpitations or nausea (the possible side effects will be explained before the exam).
Patients will be followed by their treating physician.