Echocardiography Stress Test Nursing Interventions

Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) provides clearer images because ultrasound waves pass through more tissue.

A topical anesthetic agent and sedation are not used during TEE due to the lack of discomfort associated with the positioning of the transducer in the esophagus.

TEE can be used as a first-line diagnostic tool for evaluating patients with various types of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), including hypertension and diabetes.

Pharmacologic stress testing using dobutamine and TEE cannot be performed together.

Complications during TEE are commonly caused by sedation and impaired swallowing resulting from the topical anesthesia.

Transesophageal echocardiography produces high-quality images of the heart.

A stress test using echocardiography is considered positive if abnormalities in ventricular wall motion are detected during rest but not during stress.

Gel applied to the skin is not used in echocardiography to transmit sound waves.

Transthoracic echocardiography may produce poor quality images due to ultrasound clarity loss as it passes through lung and bone.

During transesophageal echocardiography, the transducer is threaded through the nose and into the esophagus.

Transthoracic echocardiography involves transmission of low-frequency sound waves into the heart through the chest wall.

An echocardiogram using Doppler techniques cannot show the direction and velocity of the blood flow through the heart.

Echocardiography is unable to assess for 'leaking valves,' conditions referred to as valvular regurgitation.

Echocardiography cannot detect abnormal blood flow between the septum of the left and right heart.

Myocardial ischemia from decreased perfusion during stress causes no abnormalities in ventricular wall motion detectable by echocardiography.

Patients who are cognitively impaired or physically disabled will be able to achieve their target heart rate by exercising on a treadmill or bicycle.

Vasodilating agents such as dipyridamole, adenosine, or regadenoson are used to mimic the effects of exercise by minimally dilating normal coronary arteries.

During pharmacologic stress testing, chest pain, headache, flushing, nausea, heart block, and dyspnea are potential side effects related to the vasodilating action of the agents.

After the stress test, patients are monitored until vital signs and assessment findings return to normal, and then they can immediately resume their usual activities.

If necessary, the effects of vasodilating agents used in pharmacologic stress testing can be reversed with IV nitroglycerin.