cardiac clearance

hi everyone. i just set up my appointment for a cardiac clearance. i don't know what this is...i just know that my surgeon is requiring me to get it. please could you tell me what to expect/how long it takes/do i prepare for it? thanks. brandy

the cardiologist will listen you your heart, then a technician will hook you up to an EKG (lots of wires!) and you will walk on a treadmill with escalating speeds until your heart rate reaches a certain point, or as far as you can stand it! Then you'll sit down and they watch to see how long it takes for your heart rate to return to baseline. The doc then reads all these strips and you are on your way! Not too big of a deal. Bonnie B