Cardiolite Stress Test

A Cardiolite Stress Test uses an imaging tracer to see how well blood is flowing to your heart muscle at rest and stress.  It also helps determine if there are any blockages to your heart.

There are several reasons why your health care provider may want you to have this test. You may exhibit signs or symptoms of heart disease or risk factors for it. This test is also ordered to monitor known heart disease, for pre-surgical clearance and pre-pulmonary rehab. 

Please do not eat anything six hours prior to your test, although you may have sips of water.

It is also important to not consume any caffeinated products for 24 hours before your test. This would include any coffee, tea, soda, (including decaffeinated varieties), and chocolate. Please also avoid any medications that contain caffeine. If you are on heart medications, these may interfere with your test.

Please discuss with your doctor which medications you should take. Take your blood pressure medication the morning of the test with sips of water, unless instructed otherwise from doctor. Do not take nitrates or betablockers. Theophylline cannot be taken for 24 hours before your test. Viagra and similar medications must be avoided for 48 hours. Do not take nitrates for 24 hours.

Do not take beta blockers for 24 hours prior to your test. Beta blockers include:

• Blocadren (Timolol)
• Corgard (Nadolol)
• Inderal (Propranolol)
• Lopressor (Metoprolol)
• Sectral (Acebutolol)
• Tenormin (Atenolol)
• Visken (Pindolol)
• Toprol XL
• Coreg (Carvedilol)
• Sotalol

Bring your medications and inhalers. Wear layered comfortable clothing and walking shoes. Due to necessary wait times during this test, you may want to bring reading material or other quiet activities.

You will first need to check in at the registration bays and register at the Imaging Services desk. 

This test takes approximately four hours. There are two parts to this test, a rest and a stress portion. After your check in, a nurse/technologist will call you back to the Nuclear Medicine are. Your history will be reviewed and an IV lock will be placed in a vein in your arm or hand. 

Next, a technologist will inject your with an imaging tracer called Cardiolite. This tracer is what allows us to obtain images of your heart. No side effects are expected from this injection. You will be asked to wait about one hour after the injection while the tracer circulates though your body. 

After the one hour wait, your resting images will be taken. These take approximately 20 minutes and require you to lay on your back with your arms above your head.

After your scan, the stress portion of the test will be performed either by treadmill or by a medication. At this time patches will be put on your chest to monitor your heart. A health care provider and a nurse will be monitoring you continuously while your heart is being stressed. During this time another injection of the Cardiolite will be given. 

After a short monitoring period, you will be allowed to eat, drink, and take your medications. You will return to the waiting area for approximately 30-60 minutes before your last set of images. The final scan will take approximately 20 minutes.

The person accompanying you will only be allowed in the exam room during the explanation of the test.  Only medical personnel involved with the test will be allowed once the test begins. 

Your ordering physician will receive the results of your exam and discuss these results with you at a follow-up appointment. If you do not have an appointment, please contact your physician's office in order to determine how these results will be obtained.