you're going to have a cardiac stress perfusion MRI scan this film will
explain what the scan will involve and allow you to prepare for the tests an
MRI is a magnet scanner which takes really detailed pictures of the heart
muscle without using x-rays. stress perfusion means giving you a medicine
called adenosine that makes the heart work harder
as if you exercising and looking at the effect on blood flow in the heart muscle.
it's a technical process so it does take quite a long time you can expect to be
in the scanner for thirty to forty minutes and in the department for up to
two hours. Before your scan you'll be asked to change into a hospital gown and
the radiographers will run through a safety checklist to make sure it's safe
to give you the dye and to make sure you don't have any pacemakers metal implants
or foreign bodies. This is really important for safety and please let them
know if you have any of these or if you've ever been injured by a metal
foreign body, such as shrapnel. the small plastic tube called a cannula will be
put into a vein in each arm so we can give you dye and the adenosine medicine
once you're in the scan room you'll be asked to lie down on the scanner bed and
you'll be asked some more safety questions. You'll have the chance to
practice holding your breath before the test starts. you'll be asked to hold your
breath repeatedly throughout the scan. sticky dots will be put on your chest to
monitor your heartbeat. you'll be given some headphones so you can hear the
radiographers and to protect your hearing from the scanner which can get
quite noisy. the radiographers will put an MRI coil
over your chest which is a device to improve the pictures that we take the
cannulas will be connected to the contrast and to the adenosine you'll
also be given a cool bell to hold you can squeeze if you have any problems or
concerns at any point during the scan. you'll then move into the scanner head
first and the scanning will start. The radiographers will take the first few
pictures to make sure we're scanning precisely the right area the
radiographer or consultant who's supervising the scan will then come in
and give you the adenosine just for a couple of minutes. This will make you
feel like you've done some exercise you might feel very flushed or hot like your
heart is beating very fast or like you're a little out of breath. we'll be
in the scan room with you so please tell us when you get any symptoms, but
remember this is quite normal and shows that the medicine is working. We'll then
take some more pictures, the medicine will be stopped and the effects will
wear off after a few seconds after this there will be more scans to look at the
way your heart is pumping, some using a special dye, but without any more
adenosine. At the end of the scan you'll be free to go home the results will be
sent to the doctor that requested the tests. For the best chance of really good
pictures, it's helpful if you can do a few things to prepare before the scan
please make sure you bring your medicines or a list of what you're
taking on the day. There are some drugs that you shouldn't take before your scan
and the radiographers will contact you in the week or so before and we'll go
through this with you. it's really important that you don't
have any caffeine for at least 18 hours before the scan, this includes tea, coffee
chocolate and fizzy drinks, such as Cola or energy drinks. Caffeine stops the
adenosine from working properly, which might give the impression that the scan
is normal, when in fact there might still be an underlying problem. It may be
useful to practice holding your breath, some of the breath holds are quite long
and although the radiographers won't expect you to hold your breath for the
full time, the longer you can do so the better pictures will get. Do drink plenty
of water before the scan but it's important that you don't eat or drink
anything else for four hours before the scan starts. It's helpful if someone
brings you to your appointment or if you use public transport. While it's usually
okay to drive after the scan it's not recommended and we can't guarantee that
you won't need venison's which could make you feel drowsy and stop you from
driving. hopefully now you have a good
understanding about what the test is going to involve. If you have any further
questions or worries please get in touch with us using the number on your
appointment letter or you can ask any of the staff on the day