Scans and heart tests
Exercise stress test report explainer
A treadmill test report packs the whole test into a table of stages and a short conclusion, with terms such as METs, percent of predicted heart rate and ST depression. Add your report below to see what each figure records and what the conclusion says, in ordinary words.
Explain your exercise stress test report
- 1. Add itDrop a PDF, take a photo or paste the text.
- 2. Check itPersonal details are removed on your device. You approve what is sent.
- 3. Read itSummary, table of results, terms and questions to ask.
The explainer opens on its own page with no adverts and no outside scripts. Your file is read on your device and is never uploaded.
What you get
- The protocol, the time exercised and the reason the test was stopped, restated.
- Heart rate and blood pressure at rest, at peak and in recovery set out in order.
- Terms such as METs, ST depression, ectopy and Duke treadmill score defined.
- The conclusion quoted as written, with questions for the doctor who ordered the test.
What the report contains
- ProtocolThe set pattern of speed and slope used, most often the Bruce protocol, which gets harder in timed stages
- METsMetabolic equivalents, a measure of the workload you reached compared with sitting at rest
- Maximum predicted heart rate and percent achievedAn age-based estimate, and how close your peak heart rate came to it
- Target heart rateThe rate the test aims for so that its result can be relied on
- ST segment changesShifts in one part of the ECG tracing during exercise, reported in mm and by lead
- Blood pressure responseHow blood pressure changed as the exercise got harder
- Reason for terminationWhy the test ended, such as reaching the target, tiredness or symptoms
What this tool cannot tell you
MedicDecode reads the written report and cannot see the tracing recorded while you exercised. A stress test is one piece of evidence that doctors weigh together with symptoms and other findings, and its words positive, negative, equivocal and non-diagnostic have technical meanings that differ from everyday use. The tool defines those words and does not estimate your heart risk. Chest pain, fainting or sudden breathlessness needs urgent medical care, whatever a past report says.
Common questions
What is percent of maximum predicted heart rate?
The predicted maximum is an estimate based on age, and the report states what share of it your peak heart rate reached. Many reports add whether that was enough for the test to count as adequate.
My report says the test was non-diagnostic. Did something go wrong?
Non-diagnostic or inconclusive means the test could not answer the question it was done for, for example because the target heart rate was not reached. It is a statement about the test, not about your heart. Your doctor can tell you whether a different test is planned.
What is the difference between a positive and a negative stress test?
In these reports, negative usually means the ECG changes the test looks for were not seen, and positive means they were. Both words describe the tracing and neither is a diagnosis, so ask your doctor what the result means in your case.
Words you may see on this report
Tap a word for its plain-English meaning, an example line and what it does not mean.
- Atelectasis
Atelectasis means part of a lung is not fully expanded, so the small air sacs there are partly or completely deflated.
- BI-RADS
BI-RADS is a scoring system from 0 to 6 used on mammogram, breast ultrasound and breast MRI reports to describe findings and next steps.
- Cardiomegaly
Cardiomegaly means the heart looks larger than expected, usually on a chest X-ray, and it is a description rather than a diagnosis.
- Clinical correlation
Clinical correlation means the radiologist is asking your doctor to compare the scan with your symptoms, examination and other tests.
- Consolidation
Consolidation on a chest scan means part of the lung that is normally filled with air is filled with something else, such as fluid or pus.
- Contrast
Contrast is a dye given before or during a scan to make blood vessels and certain tissues show up more clearly.
- Cyst
A cyst is a closed sac with a thin wall that usually holds fluid, and simple cysts seen on scans are very common and usually harmless.
- Degenerative changes
Degenerative changes means wear-and-tear changes in joints or the spine that commonly happen with age and use.
- Disc bulge
A disc bulge means a spinal disc extends a little beyond its normal edge, usually evenly around a wide area. It is very common.
- Effusion
An effusion is extra fluid that has collected in a space in the body, such as around the lungs, in a joint or around the heart.
- Ejection fraction
Ejection fraction is the percentage of blood the heart's main pumping chamber pushes out with each beat. It is one measure of heart pumping.
- Enhancement
Enhancement means an area becomes brighter on a scan after contrast dye is given, which shows it has a blood supply.