IV Persantine- Thallium Stress Test

• By rosa57
• Posted April 13, 2008 at 8:43 am
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The tallium stress test is a very long test (about 4-5 hours), but not horrendous at all. The hardest part is to walk on the treadmill for approximately 9-10 minutes (in my case it was 14 degrees slope and 3.5 miles an hour and i made arounf 9 minutes but was out of breath after that for a 3-5 minutes, i sat on the chair after that).

It considered a good test for women because it has less false positives.

So all together, you can't eat before it so you hungry, you have to lay for a couple hours so they take the pictures, you have an IV and it's not painfull at all. Bring a good book to read and positive attitude and you will be fine. Again,
treadmill part was the hardest, but if you cannot walk on the treadmill they give you medication instead.
Good luck.


This is additional description of the test:

THALLIUM OR SESTAMIBI
RADIOACTIVE STRESS TEST
. How does it work?

It has been found that if a patient exercises on a treadmill machine and is given a dose of a specific radioactive material intravenously which specifically travels to the heart muscle, it will tell us if the heart muscle is receiving adequate blood supply. If the specific radioactive material doesn't get to the heart muscle because of blocked arteries, it means there is a limited blood supply. This alerts your doctor that perhaps further tests are warranted. The agents employed are generally Sestamibi and Thallium.

. What happens during a Stress Test?

In general, the patient comes to the exercise location, either in a physician's office or at the hospital and is given a dose of radioactive material at rest. Pictures of the heart are taken with a large and bulky, but totally non-invasive, radioactive camera showing the heart rather clearly. An hour or so later, the patient is exercised on a treadmill or is "exercised"** using an intravenous medication instead of true exercise. At the appropriate time, a second dose of radioactive material is given intravenously. Then, some minutes later, additional pictures of the heart are taken with the radioactive camera.

The initial resting pictures obtained are compared to the exercise pictures. The data is manipulated in a computer, and additional diagrams are obtained showing whether or not there is evidence of reduced blood supply to a particular area of the heart muscle. If no changes from the resting to the exercise pictures are noted, then it is assumed that no blockages are present. If there is a difference with exercise, then it is assumed that a blockage may indeed be present. Further study or adjusted medications would be required in that circumstance.

**Occasionally a person is unable to do exercise such as walking because they are ill or have physical limitations. In this case, a medication such as Dipyridamole (di-pi-RID'-ah-mol) is given to the patient instead of performing an exercise test. This medication increases blood flow to the heart and thus "mimics" an exercise test. The Thallium portion of the test is then performed as usual.


. Why do I need a Thallium/Sestamibi Stress Test instead of a Standard Treadmill Stress Test?

The radioactive stress test is more accurate than the standard treadmill and is probably around 85% accurate across the board.

. Is this safe?

The radioactive stress test also is extremely safe and carries with it a small potential risk of complications, probably 1 in 1,500 to 1 in 2,000 cases. These complications mainly involve rare skin rashes and generally nothing other than that.

. What should I wear? Can I eat?

You will be asked to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. In general, you will be asked not to eat or drink anything after midnight. You may take your medicines with sips of water unless otherwise instructed.

You may not have any intake of caffeine 24 hours prior to the test. Caffeine is in food and beverages such as all regular and decaffeinated coffees or teas, all chocolate products, Cokes, Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and certain pain relievers. These are just a few examples. Please read your labels carefully. The test will have to be canceled if you have consumed any caffeine.


. How long does it take?

The entire procedure takes approximately five hours. You will not have any type of sedation; therefore, you will be able to drive yourself to and from the facility.

If your cardiologist orders this procedure for you, our scheduling staff will make all the appropriate arrangements and give you specific instructions.

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• By BarbaraGale
• Posted April 13, 2008 at 8:48 am
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Thank you, Rosa. I just printed your reply.

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• By Terric
• Posted May 1, 2008 at 7:01 pm
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Hi Barbara

I just had my second Thallium Stress Test on Monday. I arrived at the Dr.s office at 12:30 (could eat a light breakfast before 8:00 am) and left the doctors office at 3:00pm. I also had a doppler test on the carotid artery before I saw the doctor or I would have been out sooner.

Like Rosa (above) it took me 9 minutes (both times) to get my heart beats up to a steady 130 BPM. They inject the thallium again (no pain) and take a few more photos and that's it. I took a nap while they took the pics.

I have had 4 knee surgeries and do not ever run or walk fast. I made sure I had knee braces and good tennis shoes for the test. It's over before you know it. Really, I will be having another in three months and it's really no big deal. Think about it, you know it couldn't be that bad, we're heart patients.

Good luck, I really hope they can help you!

Blessings from Texas Terric

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• By BarbaraGale
• Posted May 1, 2008 at 9:55 pm
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Hi Ladies. Thank you both for your information. Unfortunately, the PERSANTINE thallium test differs from the nuclear stress tests you are talking about(which I also have taken a number of times). It takes the place of a tread, is highly unpleasant (please Google) and I have opted (if necessary) for another angioplasty (a piece of cake, in comparison).

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