newbie to this (trying to understand)

[fdrodney]

Hello, 54 yo male, no family history of MI, Bp 120/80,rate 64, weigh 180, cholesterol  risk  2.5 (excellent), 170 overall. every  3 years since 45 stress test for job.  met level previous years 22.5, 18 and was going for this year. test was halted at i guess about 14 mets with no discomfort, sob or dizziness, was carrying on full conversation with dr. I had 3 episodes of unstained ventricular tachycardia lasting between 7-10 bp at rate of 175 my steady rate was approx 145 at that time.  Within 12 hours i was sent to cath lab, no blockage found, 1 week later an echo cardiogram dr has not read yet but the test administrator told me she saw nothing unusual and if i had a dr would have come in.I meet next week with electrophsyiocariologist ???? what questions should i ask? what are they looking for? Can stress test show false positives for blockage? He mentioned that the stress test showed small/minor MI can it show a false positive for that also? as i have had no chest pain or other symptoms and work very strenuously nearly every day until last week, this doing nothing and added stress is tough. thanks

[fdrodney]

Well meet with EP, all results have come back normal, wants me to take verapamil 180 mg daily for 10 day then another stress test. before back to work. Said where the rapid vt was generating from caused no other cardiac problems,  but just the possibility of dizziness or fainting , never have had, so in order for me to return to this job I had to take verapamil to ensure it would not happen again, Not a happy camper!

[fdrodney]

that helps me understand better, how is the electrical mapping done? and all of theses test were setup immediately following the stress test, had me thinking I was walking time bomb, no real sleep this week, the met numbers have been good as up until 1 1/2  years ago i was a regular runner has taken me a while to get my legs back had problem with plantar faciitis Fell a lot better after echo.

[erijon]

Your stress test is about 65% accurate for a heart blockage, however the stress test would not record the NSVT incorrectly, that is accurate and that is what needs to be checked out.

Jon

[fdrodney]

standard stress test,

[erijon]

Your numbers would suggest you are in good health. Obtaining anything over 10 mets is considered good. However, you did have a new finding of a non-sustained ventricular tachycardia which needs to be investigated.  In many cases NVST can be a normal occurrence, but it can cause a much more dangerous rhythm so you need an EP who specializes in heart rhythms to take a look. It sounds like your heart is fine structurally and if you have been referred to an EP it is because your doctor suspects an electrical issue. The EP will map your electrical impulses and determine if the problem is coming from an electrical node that is safe or may be originating elsewhere and may need to be treated.

FYI, what type of stress test did you have? Was it with or without nuclear images? A standard stress test is about 65% accurate and a nuclear stress test is about 85% accurate so there is a possibility of a false positive.

I hope this helps.

Jon

[doubletrouble999]

There seems to be absolutely nothing wrong with you.