Thank you again for your response. Best wishes.
Yes, you can infer there are blockages if nytro medication relieves chest pain (angina). Nytro relaxes coronary vessels and the relaxation enables better blood flow to the heart cells that may not be getting enough oxygenated blood.
An echo will only provide information regarding the results of coronary artery disease (ischemia), etc. and appropriate treatment if necessary. A stent implant although evasive is of little or no risk if the procedure is done by a well qualified interventional cardiologist. Your father would not be place under medication other than anti-anxiety medication, and he would be awake and frankly feel very good due to the medication. Your father would be discharged within 24 hours, and able to resume his usual activities. That has been my experience.
Keep us informed, take care.
Thanks for your response and your compassion. I do understand the purpose of both tests. In my father's current health I'm pretty sure no one is going to implant a stent. I doubt he would make it through the surgery. My questions are - given no invasive procedures can be done in follow up to a stress test-- (as my Dad would say) "what's the point"? And, can we infer ischemia or vessel blockage from the echo?
An echo will provide information regarding the functionality of your father's heart that includes size of chambers, heart wall, blood flow through the valves, and a calculation of the amount fo blood pumped with each heartbeat.
The information is useful to determine the underlying cause for shortness of breath, chest pain, muscle fatigue, etc. Your father's symptoms may be due to low cardiac output as the heart may not be pumping efficiently. An echo would verify or exclude.
A stress test is helpful to diagnose chest pain that is due to vessel blockages. There is an injection of a dye substance that perfuse through the vessels during an exertion type activity and blockage is visable. If there is a blockage, there can be a stent implant to open the vessel to better blood flow and that would treat the chest pain.
Thanks for the question, and if you have any followup questions you are free to respond. take care and I wish your father well. Take care.