Hypertension exercise testing
The need to test is always important to assess effectiveness of your programme and to help with modifications, however you need to be aware of the contraindications.
Importance of testing.
Any form of hypertension exercise testing has to be performed in a way that is both safe for the patient, and also effective in producing the information needed to start a workout program.
Contraindications to consider.
There are a number of contraindications to exercise stress testing that need to be considered before commencing a test. These should, of course, be picked up during the patient history.
Absolute Contraindications:
the following are absolute contraindications to hypertension exercise testing that could worsen the patient's condition, or place the patient at increased risk of cardiac instability or injury:
- Acute myocardial infarction
- Unstable angina
- Acute cardiac inflammation
- Severe congestive heart failure
- Uncontrolled sustained ventricular arrhythmias
- Symptomatic supraventricular arrhythmia
- High-grade block
- Hemodynamically significant aortic stenosis
- Severe hypertension
For patients with such conditions, the first course should be to seek immediate medical or surgical intervention. Once the conditions have been treated and any acute problems are resolved, they may then be reassessed for readiness to take an exercise test.
In summary.
The actual assessment process include a number of different areas, with the physician completing a clinical risk stratification based on the patients history, a physical examination, monitoring their resting ECG, and a functional capacity test. The most commonly used tests are the shuttle walking test or the six-minute walking test.
