We do stress testing on the cardiac patients where I intern with 12 lead ecg coupled with nuclear imaging to determine any ischaemia. Echoes are also usually done depending on their diagnosis.Well echo cardiogram can show many heart problems even when person isn’t doing any physical work. Doing it both when person is still and when heart beat increases it’s even better.
To say is it safe for you is hard to say. While weight andcholesterol levels can indicate in what state is cardiovascular system[ Mod-Edit LDL on its own is no longer seen as a marker for coronary vascular disease] it’s hardly all.
One thing that’s for sure that makes stimulants more dangerous to person is age, heart can take a lot more in a young person than in older people. But also not every stimulant is as dangerous. Chances of person getting a stroke are much higher with coke than with amphetamines for example.
Our 12 lead ecg stress test is done via Modified Bruce Protocol (it's a ramp protocol for exercise testing) while patient is attached to our ecg cart. We use that info to detect arrhythmias. After we get them to 85% of age predicted HR max (220-patient age), we let them cool down, then move them to imaging to see cardiac blood flow to ensure perfusion is occurring properly.
Ultimately ECG stress testing is the minimal to do and I'd highly recommend echo and nuclear imaging if possible for the "whole picture".
With that said, I'm going to be doing a self bicycle ergometer stress test on Saturday as I have access to a Quinton ecg cart and ergometer. I prefer bike over treadmill as the bouncing of the patient/client on the treadmill along with arm movement disturbing the electrodes can cause artifact that is undesirable sometimes.
I want to address the mod edit (not done by me but I can elaborate). Ldl isn't always atherogenic. It must be in the presence of apo B proteins before it can collect on arterial walls.
The Role of Lipids and Lipoproteins in Atherosclerosis - Endotext - NCBI Bookshelf
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov