TMT (Treadmill Test)
The Treadmill Test (TMT), also known as a cardiac stress test or exercise stress test, is a widely used non-invasive diagnostic tool that assesses how well the heart functions during physical activity. Physical stress increases the heart’s demand for oxygen, and this test helps identify any issues with blood flow to the heart.During the test, the heart is stressed by physical exertion, which increases its demand for oxygen. This helps to reveal problems with blood flow in the coronary arteries that might not be obvious when the patient is at rest. For example, areas of the heart muscle that receive insufficient blood supply due to narrowed arteries may show changes on the ECG or cause symptoms like chest pain or shortness of breath during the test.
TMT is valuable in diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD), assessing exercise tolerance, evaluating arrhythmias triggered by exercise, and determining the effectiveness of cardiac treatments. It is a safe and widely used test but requires medical supervision to promptly manage any complications.It involves monitoring the heart’s electrical activity using an ECG while the patient walks on a treadmill that gradually increases in speed and incline, simulating exercise.
