Thallium Stress Test: Need, Procedure, Risks, and Results

Thallium stress test is a test which measures the blood flow into the heart, while your body is at rest and when your body is engaged in any physical activity. Thallium stress test is also known as a cardiac test or nuclear stress test. The thallium stress test shows the size of heart chambers if any heart muscle is damaged or defected due to a heart attack in the past. The thallium stress test also shows if a heart is pumping blood properly and checks whether all the coronary arteries are supplying blood to the heart. The test measures the ability of your body to take the stress.

Thallium stress test is done:

• If a person have chest pain
• If a person have worsening angina
• To check the blood flow into the heart
• To measure the results of the surgery
• To check the effectiveness of medicines
• If a person had a heart attack
• To guide the treatment of heart disease

Thallium stress test Procedure

The thallium test is carried out at a hospital, diagnostic centre, or at an outpatient clinic. During the thallium test procedure a nuclear liquid known as radioisotope is inserted through an intravenous sedation. Sometimes, instead of radioisotope, a doctor may use a radiopharmaceutical medication such as thallium or sestamibi. The nuclear liquid inserted into a patient, flows through a bloodstream and reaches the patient’s heart. After that, a camera like device known as gamma camera is used to measure the outcomes of the test. The gamma camera identifies the radiation and display the problems associated with the patient’s heart. The test is done in two parts-first a patient is asked to lie down and relax for 15-20 minutes and in the second part, the patient is asked to run on a treadmill or pedal an exercise bicycle for half an hour.

Risks of a Thallium stress test 

The Thallium stress test is usually safe and there are rare chances of any complications. The risks associated with a thallium stress test are same as with other medical procedure. Some risks related with thallium stress test are listed below. 

• Myocardial infarction
• Irregular heart beats
• Difficulty in breathing
• Skin irritation
• Dizziness
• Allergic reaction
• Frequent changes in blood pressure
• Pain in the chest

Thallium stress test results 

The results of thallium stress test depend on the patient’s age, medical history, and other health issues. The normal result indicates the healthy flow of blood to the heart through the coronary arteries. The abnormal result shows the poor flow of blood to the heart due to a blockage or narrowing down of an artery that supplies blood to the heart. The abnormal thallium stress test results also reveal the coronary artery disease or other heart complications.

High Blood Pressure and Its Connection With Sleep

One in every three adults is reported to have a problem of high blood pressure and two of three people with diabetes are estimated to have it too.

High Blood Pressure is often termed as a "silent killer"- as you would not know about it until your doctor figures it out when you give a visit to him.

Hypertension can also lead to risk factors like heart attack and heart failure, as with this serious condition, the heart cannot pump enough blood required by the body. In addition to this, this has serious implications on:

• The Brain: High BP (Hypertension) is considered as the most critical risk factor for stroke.
• Vision: It may even cause blurred or impaired vision or even worse, as could result in blindness also.
• Arteries: Plague build-up in arteries could also be one of the reasons for hypertension as this will make your heart and kidney work harder.
• Kidneys: It can also lead to narrow blood vessels in kidneys due to which kidneys don't function properly and toxins builds up in the blood.

Are there any warning signs of High blood pressure?

Well, in most of the cases, there are rarely any symptoms. People usually relate it to increased levels of stress, nervousness and tension, but the truth is that even a relaxed person can have high blood pressure.

So instead of assuming on your own, the best way to know if you have hypertension is by getting it checked by your health care provider. This should be done regularly as this disease of elevated blood pressure can develop over time. Prompt treatment of it can also reduce your risk of stroke, heart failure, kidney failure and heart attack.

High blood pressure and sleep apnoea

Missing out on sleep can leave you feeling irritated and slow-witted in the morning, but the consequences do not end here. Over the time, sleep may also take a toll on your heart and blood pressure.

High blood pressure and sleep apnoea are associated with each other and studies show that it can result in even graver conditions like heart failures, irregular heart rates and heart related diseases. The simple reason for hypertension with sleep apnoea are sudden drops in oxygen levels due to sleep apnoea which will increase the blood pressure and stress will be put on heart.

How to control high blood pressure?

The risk factors like age, family history and ethnicity are among the ones that are not in our control. So when we talk about the preventive measures for hypertension, our focus would be on the factors that you can actually change.

Try to follow the below mentioned lifestyle changes to eliminate any reasons for high blood pressure and to bring down the numbers in case of elevated blood pressure.

• Maintain Healthy weight - People who are overweight should look for methods to lose weight and get a healthy body. Talk with your doctor about the ideal weight you can have and try to achieve it.
• Follow a balanced diet - Taking a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables and limiting your intake of calories, fat and sugar will surely help in eliminating even the minor signs.
• Cut back on salt - Living on a low-sodium diet helps in keeping the symptoms of high blood pressure at bay. You should cut back on your total salt intake per day by avoiding high-sodium processed foods and by limiting the use of salt in your daily meals.
• Engage in regular exercise - A moderate exercise of about 30 minutes, three times in a week will be a good start to control hypertension. Furthermore, keep in mind, the more you exercise the better.
• Limit the alcohol consumption - Drinking too much of alcohol leads to hypertension. Thus, one should limit its intake to get a hold of the symptoms of high blood pressure.
• Monitor your blood pressure - Above all, it is very important to get your blood pressure checked at regular intervals of period. In case, your doctor determines that you are at an increased risk of developing hypertension, he may recommend you extra steps as a safety.
• Check for Sleep Apnoea - Your uncontrolled blood pressure, despite of prescribed medications could also be the result of sleep apnoea. So, its better you meet a sleep specialist and on his advice, undergo polysomnography to get diagnosed for sleep apnoea. They may recommend you a treatment to bring down your blood pressure.

Cardiac surgeons explain heart surgery complications

The number of patients encountering heart problems is increasing every year and as a result, heart related surgeries is also significantly high. In India alone, thousands of patients are operated upon for heart problems every day, which accounts to a large number per year. To be precise, cardiac surgery besets different procedures conducted by a cardiac surgeon. To name some, it is done to repair or replace valves, widen affected arteries, instil devices to manage proper heart functioning and transplant heart.   

Usually, heart surgery is the final option for treating a cardiovascular issue, i.e. when medicines or drugs fail to provide positive feedback. As with any other surgery, heart surgery also contains some risks and complexities. Before setting up the whole process of a heart surgery, the patient is thoroughly examined with the objective to minimise after-surgery complications. Moreover, the patient should be aware of the recovery options and impediments of a cardiovascular surgery before giving his consent for the medical procedure.

The typical heart operation is referred to as open heart surgery, wherein the chest is cut open and all the deformities relating to heart are dealt with. Cardiac surgeons use a heart-lung bypass machine during the process that ensures proper functioning of the lungs and heart. But thanks to the big leaps taken by the medical industry, there are minimally invasive procedures available now. These procedures pose less risk than a traditional open heart surgery resulting in speedy recovery. Here is a list of complications, both minor and major which can be associated with a heart operation.

BLEEDING DURING THE OPERATION

Cardiac surgeons take plenty of care while operating upon a patient’s heart. Well, there is some sort of bleeding associated with every surgical procedure. But in some cases, excess bleeding occurs after the operation, which is normally addressed by then present professionals immediately. If there is any damage to the blood vessels, quick diagnosis is essential for survival.

HEART ATTACK

Increased stress experienced by the patient during the operation can lead to heart attack. It is by far the most common major complication of a bypass surgery. Heart attack is likely to be unambiguous in individuals with high blood pressure, choked blood vessels or disorder in heart muscles.

STROKE

Cardiac surgeons have reported some cases where patients suffer from blood clots resulting in no supply of oxygen to the brain. Hence, the patient is likely to endure a stroke. Speech impairment and paralysis are some of the potential consequences of a stroke. However, death is not ruled out either.

ISSUES WITH THE LUNGS

Lung functionality does get affected during a heart operation. Some of the complications include fluid accretion in the chest, breathing problems, respiratory tract infection, bleeding, lung failure etc. That is why cardiac surgeons use heart-lung bypass machine.

INCONSEQUENTIAL PROBLEMS

Heart surgeries may lead to not so worrying problems such as vomiting, swelling, bruising, skin allergy & numbness, nausea, scar formation, irregular heart beat and so on. These conditions don’t require much concern and can be treated with over-the-counter medicines or by following self-care tips.

On an ending note, the overall complications attributed with heart surgeries depends on the patient’s health, expertise of the cardiac surgeon, kind of operation and medical equipments. Nonetheless, getting a surgery performed by a qualified professional and taking prompt after-care are keys to reduce heart surgery complexities.