My Husband Had A Stress Test , Mostly As A

Posted on Thu, 23 Jun 2022

Question: My husband had a stress test, mostly as a precaution due to family history, and it showed a 66% ejection fraction but a mild decrease in activity in the basal interior and lateral wall. His family doctor told him it was a pretty good result. Then the heart group called and also acted like it was pretty good and then without explanation said since it was abnormal he needs to get an ultrasound and some type of non invasive angiogram. (Just for information his blood pressure was very high at the time of the test if that matters, he had not been taking his meds and he was very nervous. It was high enough that he had to do the injection instead of walk). 1. Is this result enough to warrant these tests to be scheduled. 2. Could the elevated bp cause this result? 3. What are they looking for that may be causing this....possibly a blockage that they didn't detect on the stress test? Just a little confused because they acted like everything was fine and now they are ordering tests.

Answered by Dr. Bhanu Partap (20 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Please refer to the detailed information below

Detailed Answer:
Hello

After going to the medical query provided by you I can understand your concern and I would like to tell you that the decreased activity in basal inferior and lateral wall is suggestive of some underlying cardiac issues most likely some blockage in the arteries of heart.

BP can rise because of this issue but raised bp doesn’t causes such changes in stress echo.

It’s advisable to get. Coronary angiography done to confirm any underlying coronary artery disease.

I hope this will clear your doubts.

Kind Regards
Dr Bhanu Partap

You can also visit www.HealthMonastery.com for more useful cardiac and general health related topics and information.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Bhanu Partap (28 minutes later)

Since it was described as "mild" abnormality would it most likely be a small blockage that could be treated with diet and lifestyle change or could it be a size that could need a stint even though the ejection fraction was 66%? And kind of a weird question.....could it cause abdominal pain? I doubt it but he has been having stomach pain for a few months and is scheduled for a colonoscopy. We don't have much experience with cardiac problems.

Answered by Dr. Bhanu Partap (6 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Hello again

Detailed Answer:
A blockage that can cause abnormality on stress echo in general is not manageable just by lifestyle modifications and need intervention. So it’s important to get evaluated to understand accurate severity of the disease.

Yes, in some patient cardiac discomfort and present as abdominal pain also.

Kind Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Bhanu Partap (38 minutes later)

Maybe silly question but could undiagnosed sleep apnea cause this reading?

Answered by Dr. Bhanu Partap (41 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Hello

Detailed Answer:
No, not know.

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar