Description

Effort Test

How to Perform an Effort Test?

In hospitals, the effort test is performed on a motorized
treadmill called a “treadmill” under the supervision of a cardiologist, doctor
and technician. Electrodes will be attached to your chest for ECG
recording, and your pulse and blood pressure will be measured at rest. Your
EKG will then be taken while lying down, standing and breathing deeply for one
minute. At the start of the standard test, the treadmill moves slowly and
with little incline. Then, every three minutes, there is some increase in
speed and incline according to the exercise protocol applied. In the
beginning, it will be sufficient to walk at a certain pace, you may need to run
at advanced levels.

The aim here is to put an increasing load on the heart and to
bring the heart rate to a certain minimum value, which is calculated according
to your age (as the age increases, the heart rate to be reached decreases.). In
this framework, the duration of exercise will vary according to your age and
effort capacity. Average time is about 8-10 minutes. During the test,
your heart rhythm is constantly monitored on the screen and your blood pressure
is measured at each stage (every 3 minutes).

What should you do before the stress test?

 • You should not eat anything at least two hours before

• Smoking should not be allowed during this period

• Your doctor should be consulted about whether or not you will drink the drugs you use regularly

• You should wear comfortable clothes. You should bring tracksuits or
shorts and sports shoes with you on the day of the test

• If an effort test is required with your daily outfit, it would be appropriate
to wear low-heeled shoes with rubber soles and comfortable trousers.

What happens during an effort test and what should you do?

 •If you experience any complaints (chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness,
palpitations, leg pain, fatigue, etc.) during exercise, inform the team
performing the test.
• The exercise part of the test is terminated if you reach the target heart
rate, get tired or have complaints that prevent you from continuing, or for
medical reasons that the doctor will decide.
• During this period, rhythm monitoring, ECG and blood pressure are recorded
for at least five minutes and the process is terminated.