Originally Posted by
HawkOwl
Not quite so simple. A stress test showing an "abnormality " can, and often does, result in life altering medications, and activity restrictions. Plus, they can instill fear that prevents a person from intelligently living their life.
Interpreting electrocardiograms is as much an art as a science. At the same time we are still learning about the parameters of a "normal" heart.
Add in the doc's desire to limit liability and a wrong test can, in essence, ruin a person's life. Plus, never forget tests like this are merely snapshots. Plenty of examples of people dying shortly after "passing" a standard stress test.
As I stated, an abnormality that shows up in a stress test will usually lead to additional tests. I know in my case, a second test, this time with a radioactive agent, showed a 60% blockage in one of my heart arteries. As a result, my "life altering medications" include a baby aspirin and cholesterol medication daily.
If you don't understand your risks, how can you go about "intelligently living" your life? When dealing with a potential heart attack, ignorance is NOT bliss. I don't have any statistics, but I would wager that more people have died as a result of needing a stress test and not having one, than having one and dying anyway.