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10. Stress test

Menu: Record / Stress test

First, in the setting window, make sure there is a checkbox next to “RS232 connecting”.

If the necessary patient information (date of birth, sex, height, weight) is not specified on the patient card, a warning appears. You can continue without supplying the data or return to the PATIENT CARD, enter the necessary data and restart the stress test.

After choosing the appropriate stress program, begin monitoring by pressing (START, or [F9]).

10.1 Recording stress test series

Monitoring begins with a resting ECG recording. You can begin the workload stages as following:

Menu: Stress test / Start
Hotkey: [F9]

The ergometer/bicycle will begin with the initial workload and the storing of the full 12 channel ECG recording will also start. The duration of workload stages will be that chosen in the Settings menu. At the end of each stage, an ECG is stored, and the workload will be increased for the next stage.

The monitor window displays the following data:

  • blood pressure (in case of automatic measuring: display)
  • blood pressure time
  • actual, and total time in sec
  • actual load measured in W (in case of a treadmill: speed and rise)

Test breakpoints

If any one of the test breakpoints is reached, the program enters the recovery phase. However, you can choose to continue the test at the current workload, by pressing [F3] within 15 seconds.

On the screen display, below the test time indicators, you can see the actual value of the workload, measured in watts for the ergometer/bicycle and as speed and grade for the treadmill.

10.2 Recovery phase

At the end of the last workload stage, or when any test endpoint is reached, the program automatically switches to the recovery phase.

Menu: Stress test / Recovery
If a limit value is reached, the workload can be continued by pressing [F3] within 15 seconds and the recovery phase will not begin

In the recovery phase the workload is set to zero or to a minimum value, and blood pressure measurements continue. With ergometer/bicycles controlled by the computer, the workload is set to a minimum value automatically. With ergometer/bicycles that are not computer controlled, the minimum workload must be set manually.

At any time it is possible to store an ECG strip besides the phases, which are stored automatically.

Menu: Mode / Return
Hotkey:[ESC]

Quits the program. Be sure to the test is completed and saved before quitting.

10.3 Blood pressure measuring

Blood pressure (BP) measurements start automatically at the end of the rest, load and recovery phases. The blood pressure measurements can be done in two ways:

In manual BP mode, the user types in BP measurements in the following form: BP[mmHg] = systole/diastole. Before the end of each workload stage, the program provides a beep signal and a schematic figure of a sphygmomanometer appears under the pulse values. The BP measurements are to be entered 40 seconds after the beep tone - a white stripe in the schematic figure indicates the time remaining.

With an automated BP measurement device connected, the computer acquired and stores the data. The program displays the last measured BP values.

It's also possible to take BP measurements more than once in each stage or phase, or to leave out BP measurements. This option is set in Extra BP-measurement. If this field is empty or 0, then each stage or phase will have one BP measurement performed.

If this field is set to:
1, 2, 3, 4 then there will be 2, 3, 4 or 5 measuring per phase.
-1, -2, -3, -4 then the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th phases will not have BP measuements taken.

Examples:

  • Interval = 180
  • Extra BP measuring = 2
  • Time interval for BP-measuring: 180/(1+2) = 60.
  • Interval = 90
  • Extra BP measuring = -1
  • Time interval for BP-measuring: = 90*(1+1) = 180.
At the end of extra BP-measurements (40 sec after the beep) there will also be an additional ECG saved. The measured BP values will be added to this ECG recording.

10.4 Manual change of workload

It is possible to increase or decrease the pre-programmed workload in 5 watt increments.

  increase by 5 watt.

  decrease by 5 watt.

Once the desired change in workload set, it should be saved by pressing ([F9]) within 10 seconds to store the new workload value.

It is also possible to hole the workload constant and cancel the pre-programmed increases in workload. In this case the workload will remain constant until it is cancelled.

With this choice, the displayed workload value (watts) blinks, and the workload remains constant until this choice is again selected to cancel.


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