For patients with mobility issues, traveling to a hospital to perform an exercise stress test may be quite an undertaking. Luckily for patients of Abbeville Area Medical Center, newly acquired equipment allows the facility to perform stress tests without exercise, close to home.

Traditionally, stress testing has required a patient to run or walk on a treadmill while heart functions are analyzed, making the test quite difficult for patients with joint problems or health issues that prohibit these activities. Currently, however, new technology - which was purchased by the AAMC Foundation - allows patients to undergo stress testing without having to move.

Non-exercise stress testing requires a patient to lie flat under a monitor while physicians intravenously administer a substance. The substance then dilates blood vessels in the heart and increases blood flow, which simulates exercise.

“While exercise is simulated, we are able to look at certain parts of a patient’s heart,” says Sherrie Dansby, R.N.,CDE, stress testing coordinator at AAMC. “This helps us focus on areas of the heart that can be problematic and be more proactive with courses of treatment.”

The availability of non-exercise stress testing means that more patients can find the right test at AAMC.

“Our patients don’t have to travel very far for the proper diagnostic procedure,” adds Dansby. “Non-exercise stress testing is just another way we constantly work to meet the needs of our growing community.”

For more information on stress testing at AAMC, click the “Services” tab.