Understanding Stress Echocardiography

Stress echocardiography is a non-invasive diagnostic tool that assesses the heart's blood supply by putting it under stress, simulating conditions such as exercise. Developed over 50 years ago, it helps evaluate patients experiencing chest pain or breathlessness by monitoring their heart's contraction and blood flow during stress tests. This method is considered safe, analogous to the physical exertion of climbing a few flights of stairs, and can utilize various stressors including treadmill tests and pharmacological agents. Recent guidelines have recognized stress echocardiography as a valuable diagnostic tool for patients at moderate to high risk of coronary artery disease, establishing its relevance within the current arsenal of chest pain assessment techniques.