hello and welcome to the st louis children's hospital exercise physiology lab
the following short video will demonstrate what a typical exercise stress test
looks like an exercise stress test is a non-invasive test performed on both adults
and children the test is also referred to as a cardiopulmonary exercise test cpet stress test
or exercise physiology test an exercise stress test may be performed to help determine how
well your body functions under the stress of an exercise this test may help your doctor understand
where to target medical therapies or determine if a surgery or catheterization intervention is
needed a well-performed exercise stress test can also assess your heart rate and rhythm
during exercise to make sure you are safe to return to sports and activities to prepare for
this patients are asked to avoid vigorous physical activity 24 hours before testing also avoid a
large meal two hours prior to testing eating a light snack if needed and drinking water is okay
make sure to take all prescribed medications unless advised otherwise it is also important that
patients come dressed appropriately for the test wearing comfortable exercise clothes and closed
toed athletic shoes arriving with inappropriate footwear may result in the test being rescheduled
the exercise physiology lab is located in the heart station on the second floor of st louis
children's hospital after passing the security desk take a left down the second hallway the heart
station is located towards the end of the hall on the right after you arrive at the heart station
you will be greeted and checked in at the front desk when the room is prepared and ready patients
are escorted to the exercise lab by a staff member who will be performing the test family members are
allowed to join and watch if they would like the test will be performed on either a treadmill or
a stationary bike you will have as much time as you need to familiarize yourself with the
equipment whether the test is performed on the treadmill or the bike the exercise will start
easy and gradually get harder there is nothing painful about the test but the best results
are obtained if you give us your best effort which means exercising until you are very tired
the test begins with the patient lying comfortably on the exam table while the technician places ecg
stickers on the front of the chest and abdomen and connecting the ecg leads the ecg is worn
around the waist like a belt during the test before exercising begins the technician will
obtain blood pressures while both lying down and standing up now let us show you what the
test may look like if the test is being performed on the treadmill the test will start with an easy
walk you will be allowed to hold on to the front handlebar for stability as the test continues the
treadmill will gradually get faster and steeper until the test is stopped if the test is being
performed with metabolic analysis the patient will also have a face mask this measures how much
oxygen the patient is breathing in and how much carbon dioxide the patient is breathing out
the test will continue as previously demonstrated the test may also be performed on the stationary
bike similar to the treadmill the bike will start very easy and gradually get harder to
pedal until you can no longer continue this test could also be performed with or without metabolic
data being collected using the face mask how are you feeling during the test there is constant
communication with the technician regarding any discomfort or symptoms the patient may be having
patients are encouraged to perform their best even when becoming tired
however the technician will stop the test if there are any concerning findings that may affect safety
the test will gather lots of important information including heart rate heart rhythm blood pressure
breathing changes and metabolic measurements the data will be analyzed thoroughly and a
report will be sent to the ordering physician when the exercise is over patients will have
a chance to cool down and rest while the test is finishing after the test is concluded the
electrocardiogram stickers will be removed and when ready the patient will be dismissed
thank you for watching this video we hope this information has been helpful