WHAT IS A DOBUTAMINE STRESS ECHO TEST?
A Dobutamine stress echocardiogram is a test that examines your heart with the use of ultrasound and the drug Dobutamine. This drug will make your heart beat harder and faster, as if you were exercising. Your physician will be able to obtain information about your heart from the test.

HOW IS IT DONE?
Before the test begins, you will have several electrodes (small sticky patches) placed on your chest. An Intravenous (IV) will be started in your arm and a small wand (called a transducer) is held against your chest to obtain pictures/images of the heart. These images are displayed on a screen and may be stored on videotape. A Cardiologist (heart doctor) will be with you during the test and will examine the pictures/images for any abnormalities. The Dobutamine will be slowly dripped through the IV for about 15 to 20 minutes. The wand will be used several times during the test to get more pictures/images. Normally, the heart muscle will squeeze faster and harder while receiving the Dobutamine. Areas that do not pump faster and harder may indicate a problem with the blood flow in that part of the heart. When your heart has reached a certain rate and the physician has obtained enough information, the Dobutamine will be stopped. Final images will be done after your heart has returned to a normal rate. If the images/pictures are not adequate, a contrast agent may need to be injected into your vein through the IV. The contrast agent is not a dye or a radioactive agent. It is an image enhancer which can greatly benefit ultrasound image quality. The contrast agent is used, it will be injected each time pictures are obtained to improve the quality of the test.