How does my doctor use a dobutamine stress echocardiogram?

A dobutamine stress echocardiogram is a diagnostic procedure that may be used when a physician wants to assess the heart muscle under stress. If exercise on a treadmill is not an option (too much stress on the heart) due to a person's medical condition, a physician may use an intravenous medication called dobutamine. Dobutamine causes the heart to beat faster and will mimic the effects of exercise on the heart.

Possible indications for a dobutamine stress echocardiogram may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• to assess the heart's function and structures
• to determine limits for safe exercise in patients who are entering a cardiac rehabilitation program and/or those who are recovering from a cardiac event, such as a heart attack (myocardial infarction, or MI) or heart surgery
• to evaluate blood pressure during stress testing
• to assess stress or exercise tolerance in patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease
• to evaluate the cardiac status of a patient about to undergo surgery

There may be other reasons for your physician to recommend a dobutamine stress echocardiogram.