Question:
Seeking those who have had a persantine cardiolyte stress test

I am scheduled for a stress test. The doctor said it was a two day test, the first day about an hour, and the second day about 3 hours. What is it that is going to be done? Is this test going to simulate a heart attack?    — Cj B. (posted on July 12, 2003)

July 12, 2003
http://www.agmc.org/hrtprep/persan.htm <BR><BR> If you go to this site it will give you quite a bit of information about the test. Here's just part: <BR><BR> WHAT IS A PERSANTINE CARDIOLITE STRESS TEST? <BR><BR> A Persantine Cardiolite stress test helps diagnose coronary artery disease or identifies areas of the heart that lack an adequate blood supply due to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. Coronary arteries are located on the outside of the heart and bring oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. Your physician has determined that you are unable to exercise adequately on a treadmill or a stationary bicycle. Persantine (Diprydamole) is a medication that dilates the coronary arteries to produce an effect similar to what happens when you exercise. Persantine and Cardiolite are both infused (given slowly) through a vein in the arm while resting. Cardiolite (a radioactive substance known as a tracer) travels in the blood stream to the heart where it is picked up by the heart muscle cells. Areas of the heart muscle that lack an adequate blood supply pick up the tracer very slowly or not at all. The tracer emits a small amount of radio-activity that will be detected by a special scanning camera one hour later in the Radiology Department. This session will last about 30 minutes. If an area of the heart muscle receives less blood supply than the rest of the heart muscle because of narrowed or blocked coronary arteries, the scan will show less tracer in that area of the heart muscle. The scan helps the physician determine areas of the heart muscle that do not receive enough blood supply or areas that are permanently damaged from a previous heart attack. <BR><BR> Sometimes an additional resting scan is needed on another day to determine what the heart looks like at rest. Allow three hours for the scan and remember to fast and avoid cigarettes and chewing and pipe tobacco six hours prior to the scheduled appointment.
   — [Deactivated Member]

July 12, 2003
Hi CJ, I had to have a persantine stress test also. I also had a stress test with another drug a few months earlier--be GRATEFUL they're using persantine! It was a breeze...I didn't even realize when they gave me the meds! With the first one, I thought I was going to die, right then and there, and I vomited and felt bad for a couple of days. I couldn't drive myself home. With the persantine, I got off the table and waltzed out! They told me that I would have a two day test, also, but I ended up having only one day! They do the two day because of our weight--they have trouble getting good pictures. Mine came out fine, and they did not need the second day. Basically, you lay in a CT Scan machine. They'll start an IV. After a few pictures, they will inject the medication, give it time to circulate, then do more pictures. It's a breeze. Best wishes on your journey! Linda
   — Linda S.

July 12, 2003
I have had 2 stress test with the persatine injection, and they told me I may experiance pounding in my chest, and if it happened, they could inject something counteract it. Well both times my heart was really pounding and beating fast, and I asked if I could have the 2ed injection, and the 1st time they injected it only after 6 minutes and that stopped the test, the next time I went the whole distance and then they gave me the injection. BTW one test was in 2001 and the 2ed was in 2003. They constantly monitor the ekg and the cardiologist is usually with you. It only took 12 or 15 minutes for the persatine injection stress test, and I had the scan about 2 hours later,so mine was all done in one day. good luck the test is well worth having.
   — wizz46

July 13, 2003
Hi All! I DO THESE TESTS FOR A LIVING so here's a brief explanantion: First of all most people know of the traditional STRESS TEST which involves walking the treadmill to your limit. Well the NUCLEAR MEDICINE version of the stress test takes it one step further by adding photographs that show the blood flow thru the arteries of the heart both at resting (non-exercise) state and Stress (peak exercise). This is very very similar to the info gathered from an angiogram but much easier, quicker, and non-invasive. The injection given to take the actual pictures is a radioactive isotope and can be called either 1. Thallium, 2. Cardiolite, or 3. Myoview. All three are different but do the same thing. They are essentially used and recognized by the body as potassium so there are no side effects. The heart being a muscle, will do like all muscles and absob/metabolise potassium in the form of one of the three former listed isotopes. The radiation is MINIMAL and to be quite honest the total you see from this test is less than a routine 3 view chest XRAY. Now comes the Persantine part......a drug induced stress test will be done in place of an actual walkinf treadmill test for one of two reasons. Either a person just cant walk well enough for the treadmill test to be fully effective or (in alot of our cases) our body weight exceeds the limit of the treadmill, which is usually 250-300 pounds. There are 3 types of drugs they can use to accomplish the same thing..... 1. Persantine, 2. Adenosine, 3. Dobutamine. The quickest and easiest is Adenosine but it is a bit more costly. Adenosine is the drug of choice as our body naturally creates it anyway so side effects are minimal and if they occur, they disappear within seconds of the complete infusion time, which is still only 6 minutes max. People with COPD or wheezing unfortunately can not use Adenosine as it exacerbates those problems. As for the two day test..........normally it is only a one day, 3 hour provedure, but on obese patients the test must be done a bit differetly because all of our extra mass in the vhest area makes it more sifficult for the cameras to see the heart. Doing the test on two days allows each of the two imaging portions to be done using a wee bit more radiaioactive isotope which allows the cameras to see thru the soft tissue in the chest (usually breast tissue)more clearly. See, the proble is that the effect of that extra tissue we obese people have in the chest can visualize exactly like a blockage in an artery would look, so doctors need to take this extra step to help minimize that from happening. NOW THAT YOU'RE TOTALLY CONFUSED.......... I will leave you with this..... it is a VERY comon and routine exam. No side effects that linger for the day. No illness. No allergic reactions. As for it causing a heaqrt attack? Nothing can happen to your from or during the test thatis different from what you are or would be suceptible to at that same exact point in your life if you were in a stressful (either physical or emotional) situation. I have only in my 15 years career in this fieldm seen 2 hear6t attacks occur from this and they would have had it working in the yard or jogging at the same time, regardless of having the test, it saved their life by having it in the presenc e of a cardiologist. Dont sweat, dont worry........... piece of cake.
   — Ted D.

July 14, 2003
I think this is the same test I had a month ago. Mine only took a few hours. First they put me in machine to scan me. That was no problem at all. That took 20 mins. It was boring nothing else. Then they injected me with something to make my heart race like it would do if I would exercise. That was weird. They do it for 6 mins. I complained the whole time telling the nurses how weird it felt. They said something that was so true. It couldn't be that bad if I was smiling the whole time. They let me leave for a few hours. I was told to go eat a fatty meal. After I went back to the office they put me back into the machine. This is how easy that part is. I fell asleep for 20 mins. The whole test was a breeze. I worried more then was needed.
   — Cameron Van Winkle

July 15, 2003
Cameron...... you had the Adenosine version of the test the 6 minutes gives it away.....) That is by far the easiest of the three types.
   — Ted D.