What To Think About
An exercise EKG is not always
accurate. The test results from an exercise EKG are always evaluated along with
other information, such as your symptoms and other risk factors.
- Some people who have a normal exercise
electrocardiogram test may still have heart disease, and some people with an
abnormal test do not have heart disease.
- The test is less accurate
in young or middle-aged women who do not have typical symptoms of heart
disease.
- Further tests, such as cardiac perfusion scanning, stress
echocardiogram, or cardiac catheterization, may be needed to further evaluate
an abnormal exercise EKG test result. For more information, see the topics
Echocardiogram,
Cardiac Perfusion Scan, and
Cardiac Catheterization.
- Sometimes doctors automatically schedule routine tests because they think that's what patients expect. But experts say routine heart tests can be a waste of time and money. For more information, see Heart Tests: When Do You Need Them?