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Need a cardiac stress test?

Diagnostic cardiac testing is now closer to home for patients in North Baldwin County. In an effort to provide cardiac services locally, North Baldwin Infirmary recently began offering cardiac stress testing. The outpatient service is under the supervision of North Baldwin Infirmary hospitalist Amy Armstrong, M.D. “It’s important to us to bring as much as we can to North Baldwin Infirmary so that patients don’t have to travel outside of Bay Minette for noninvasive cardiac diagnostic tests,” Dr. Armstrong explained.

Stress testing lets a doctor know how well your heart works during physical exercise. Physicians use stress testing to help determine if a patient has coronary artery disease or to assess the severity of coronary artery disease in patients who are already known to have it. Stress testing is also sometimes used to diagnose problems such as heart valve abnormalities or congestive heart failure.

Dr. Armstrong said under the new service, North Baldwin Infirmary offers several types of stress testing. The exercise EKG is the most common type of stress test. Some symptoms of coronary artery disease may not show up when your heart is at rest. During an exercise stress test, patients walk on a treadmill while the doctor monitors the patient’s heart and blood pressure for abnormal changes in heart rate or rhythm. “This is a not only a way to diagnose CAD, but also a way to test to see if symptoms correlate with heart disease,” Dr. Armstrong said.

Medicine induced stress testing is also available at North Baldwin Infirmary for patients who, for reasons such as arthritis or recent surgeries, are unable to walk on the treadmill. With this kind of testing, patients receive medicines that make the heart work harder and mimic exercise.

For some patients, physicians at North Baldwin Infirmary may now also order a stress test that uses nuclear imaging. Sometimes called a Cardiolyte test, nuclear scanning of the heart allows doctors to see how well blood flows to the heart muscles. “Adding Cardiolyte to the stress test increases the sensitivity and specificity so that you have less false positives, and that’s important,” said Dr. Armstrong.

Dr. Armstrong emphasized that the cardiologist, the hospitalist, the primary care physician or a combination of those physicians will read each stress test. Any abnormal test results are reported to the patient and primary care physician the same day as testing.

Dr. Armstrong said she believes the addition of noninvasive cardiac diagnostic testing is a service welcomed by physicians and patients alike, “As the population in the northern part of Baldwin County grows, it’s vital that we provide patients with the services they need right here at North Baldwin Infirmary.”