Exercise Stress Test
A treadmill test that monitors your heart's performance while walking or running to detect reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.
The exercise treadmill stress test evaluates the heart's electrical and haemodynamic response to progressive physical exertion — detecting ischaemia, arrhythmias, and other cardiac abnormalities that only appear under physical stress.
Book This Evaluation
The exercise stress test evaluates how well your heart handles increased workload, helping uncover coronary blockages.
How It's Performed
Patients walk and run on a treadmill using the standard Bruce protocol — starting at 2.7 km/h with speed and incline increasing every three minutes. The test continues until reaching 85% of age-predicted maximum heart rate. Continuous 12-lead ECG monitoring and blood pressure measurements are taken at each stage. A physician supervises throughout.
What It Detects
- Myocardial ischaemia — detected via ST segment changes
- Exercise-induced arrhythmias
- Chronotropic incompetence — failure of heart rate to reach 85% of predicted maximum
- Abnormal blood pressure responses to exercise
- Functional capacity measured in metabolic equivalents (METs)
What Results Mean
The Duke Treadmill Score stratifies risk: scores of +5 or above indicate low risk (annual mortality below 1%); scores of −10 or below suggest high risk (above 5% annual mortality) requiring urgent further investigation.
Who Should Get It
- Suspected coronary artery disease with intermediate pre-test probability
- Assessment of known coronary artery disease
- Evaluation of exercise-induced symptoms (chest pain, breathlessness, palpitations)
- Functional cardiac assessment before high-intensity physical activity
Contraindications
- Recent myocardial infarction (within 2 days)
- Unstable angina
- Severe symptomatic aortic stenosis
- Decompensated heart failure
- Uncontrolled arrhythmias
Ready to Schedule Your Exercise Stress Test?
Most evaluations are available on the same day as your consultation with Dr. Peter Chang at Paragon Medical Centre, Singapore.