Coronary Artery Disease Diagnosis: Electrocardiogram (ECG), Exercise Stress Test, Coronary Angiography

Coronary Artery Disease - Diagnosis

How is coronary artery disease diagnosed?

Diagnosis normally starts with a physical examination by a doctor, assessing your medical history and further investigative tests. Investigative tests generally include:

Functional testing: Either a stress echocardiogram (dobutamine stress echocardiogram or exercise stress echocardiogram) or a nuclear stress test, to detect whether your heart responds abnormally to stress.
Coronary angiography: A fine tube being threaded through your arm or leg artery to evaluate for blockages in your heart arteries. Coronary stents or balloons may be inserted into the heart arteries if there are significant blockages detected.

Other specific routine tests recommended may include:

What strategies can I employ after being diagnosed with coronary artery disease?

Choose a sustainable diet and lifestyle.
It may be tempting to change your lifestyle wholeheartedly, but a sustainable, gradual approach to change works best in the long run.
Avoid excessive saturated fat and refined carbohydrate.
Consider reducing overall carbohydrate intake if you happen to be diabetic, and avoid any added sugars.
Take care to avoid processed foods where possible.
Reduce salt intake and increase your overall consumption of fiber (with a decreased amount coming from fruit if possible if again, you happen to be diabetic).
If you currently smoke, discuss therapies with your doctor, and establishing a target stop date is the most useful step in quitting smoking altogether.
Gradually increase your uptake of physical activity with advice from your doctor, and monitor your sugar levels/cholesterol levels and blood pressure regularly.
Consider signing up for cardiac rehabilitation if you're considering a more supervised approach to returning to better health.[bi1]
Take care to continue your medication regularly without missing doses, particularly your blood thinners if you've had a stent placed during your stay

The diagnosis of coronary artery disease should not limit your return to health, nor give you anxiety if well managed. Please reach out to your doctor if there are any further questions on your treatment plans.