Angina exercise testing
Testing is a vital part of any programme to assess where your at, and explore if progress is happening, Angina testing is no different. Let us explain.
Recommendation.
If you have suffered from angina, exercise testing is recommended before starting a regular cardio rehab program.
Type of testing.
The type of exercise testing that angina patients will need will depend very much on their medical history and residual symptoms. A doctor will typically make a clinical risk stratification based on your history, examination and resting ECG, combined with a functional capacity test such as the shuttle walking test.
Based upon this, low to moderate risk patients will be cleared to commence a program of low to moderate intensity exercise. High risk patients will be defined as those who:
- Suffered a myocardial infarction complicated by heart failure, cardiogenic shock and/or complex ventricular arrhythmias
- Experience angina or breathlessness during low level exercise
- Are unable to complete the first four minutes of the shuttle walking test
Considerations if a high-risk patient.
High-risk patients, however, will need further testing, for example exercise testing and echocardiography to assess residual ischaemia and ventricular function.
The most commonly used test for cardiac patients is the shuttle walking test. It was originally developed for patients with respiratory disease, but is now commonly used to assess functional capacity before and after cardiac rehabilitation. It is a low cost, low tech way to assess the development of a patients cardio system.
