Cardiologist Serving Katy, Sugar Land, Greater Houston
An exercise stress test records your heart rhythm, heart rate, and blood pressure while you walk on a treadmill, to see how your heart responds to exertion. At Advanced Cardiology, stress testing is performed or arranged by our office and reviewed by Adnan Khalid, MD as part of evaluating chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and other exercise-related symptoms.
Dr. Khalid reviews your symptoms, history and test results himself
Visits in Katy and Sugar Land
Catheter and device procedures at an affiliated hospital
Office follow-up on medicines and risk factors
An exercise stress test (also called an exercise EKG or treadmill test) is a non-invasive test that shows how your heart handles physical work. When the heart muscle does not get enough blood during exertion, the EKG, your blood pressure, or your symptoms may change in ways that point to narrowed coronary arteries. The test can also bring out rhythm problems that appear only with activity and shows how much exercise you can do safely.
Dr. Khalid may recommend a stress test if you have chest discomfort, shortness of breath, palpitations, unusual fatigue, or dizziness, especially during activity. Risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease are part of the decision, but they alone are not usually a reason to test someone who feels well.
The test is performed or arranged by our office for patients of our Katy and Sugar Land locations, and Dr. Khalid reviews the results in the context of your symptoms and history.
Adnan Khalid, MD, Cardiologist
Adnan Khalid, MD, specializes in treating coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, hypertension, arrhythmias, and hyperlipidemia. He has over 10 years of experience in the field of cardiovascular medicine.
Dr. Khalid graduated from his medical school among the top 10 out of 250 medical students in his class. He is fellowship trained in cardiovascular diseases, interventional cardiology, advanced heart failure, and transplant cardiology. He is focused on providing personalized and compassionate care. Dr. Khalid believes in spending time with his patients and listening to their needs and is committed to offering excellent care.
Dr. Khalid is an avid reader. He is eager to learn new things; He likes to work out and spend time with his family. When off from work, he likes to travel and spend time in nature along with family and friends. He is married with three children. Dr. Adnan Khalid is now seeing patients at our Katy and Sugar Land offices and welcomes new patients from across the greater Houston area.
American Board of Internal Medicine
Interventional Cardiology
Why it matters: Chest discomfort during activity can be a sign of reduced blood flow to the heart muscle.
How the test helps: It records the EKG and symptoms during exertion and looks for changes that suggest ischemia (reduced blood flow) from coronary artery disease.
Why it matters: Breathlessness can come from the heart, the lungs, anemia, or deconditioning.
How the test helps: It shows whether exertion brings on symptoms, rhythm changes, or an abnormal blood pressure response, which helps narrow the cause.
Why it matters: Some abnormal rhythms appear only with activity.
How the test helps: Continuous EKG monitoring can capture rhythms such as SVT, atrial fibrillation, or extra beats that occur during exercise.
Why it matters: How long and how hard you can exercise is useful information about your heart and overall fitness.
How the test helps: It measures your workload, heart rate, and blood pressure response.
Why it matters: New or changing symptoms in someone with known coronary disease may need reassessment.
How the test helps: It can show whether symptoms or EKG changes appear at a lower workload than before, which helps guide treatment decisions.
It can show:
It cannot show:
Not every stress test uses imaging or a radiotracer. An exercise stress test relies on the EKG, blood pressure, and symptoms only. A stress echocardiogram adds ultrasound pictures before and after exercise to look at heart-wall motion. A nuclear stress test uses a small amount of radioactive tracer and a special camera to map blood flow. People who cannot walk on a treadmill may have a medication (pharmacologic) stress test, which is paired with imaging. Dr. Khalid chooses the test based on your symptoms, your resting EKG, and your ability to exercise.
Follow the instructions your care team gives you. These often include not eating a heavy meal for a few hours beforehand and avoiding caffeine or tobacco for a period before the test. Some heart medicines, such as beta-blockers, can affect the results, but do not stop or change any medication on your own; Dr. Khalid or the office will tell you exactly what to take and what, if anything, to hold. Wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes, and bring a list of your medications.
Small adhesive electrodes are placed on your chest, and a blood pressure cuff is placed on your arm. After a resting EKG, you begin walking on a treadmill. Every few minutes the speed and incline increase. The staff watch your EKG, heart rate, blood pressure, and symptoms throughout and ask how you feel. The test stops when you reach your target, become too tired, develop significant symptoms, or show changes that mean it is time to stop. You are then monitored while your heart rate returns toward normal. The whole appointment usually takes about an hour, with only several minutes of actual exercise.
You may feel tired, short of breath, or sore in the legs, much as with any vigorous walk. Serious problems such as a dangerous rhythm or a heart attack are uncommon, and the test is supervised so it can be stopped and treated promptly. Tell the staff right away if you have chest pain, lightheadedness, or unusual shortness of breath during the test.
Dr. Khalid reviews the tracing, your blood pressure response, and your symptoms, and explains the findings at a follow-up visit or by another method the office arranges. If something needs prompt attention, the office will contact you.
A normal test with good exercise capacity is reassuring, but it does not completely rule out coronary artery disease. Depending on the findings, Dr. Khalid may recommend medication changes, risk-factor treatment, a stress test with imaging, a coronary calcium scan or CT angiography, or cardiac catheterization. If you were referred because of an abnormal result elsewhere, see abnormal stress test evaluation.
Can I do the test if I have bad knees or hips? Tell the office ahead of time. If walking on a treadmill is not realistic, Dr. Khalid may recommend a medication stress test with imaging instead.
Is an exercise stress test the same as a nuclear test? No. A standard exercise test uses no tracer and no imaging; a nuclear test adds both.
Can I drive home afterward? Most people can after a standard exercise test, but ask the staff if you feel unwell.
A stress test is for stable symptoms. Call 911 for chest discomfort that lasts more than a few minutes or comes and goes, discomfort spreading to the arm, back, neck, jaw, or stomach, shortness of breath, a cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness, or for stroke signs such as face drooping, arm weakness, or speech difficulty, even if they go away.
Sources: MedlinePlus: Exercise Stress Test · NHLBI: Heart Tests · ACC: 2024 AHA/ACC Perioperative Guideline · AHA: Warning Signs of a Heart Attack
A stress test may be helpful if:
Stress testing is not routine before most surgeries. Current guidance reserves it for selected patients whose results would change their care; people with good exercise capacity or low-risk surgery usually do not need one. Learn more about preoperative cardiac evaluation.
Most major insurance plans are accepted, and coverage is verified individually. Some plans require prior authorization for stress testing, so please call our office before your test if you have questions.
Call our office to ask about current availability at the Katy and Sugar Land locations. Adnan Khalid, MD reviews your symptoms and history first to decide which kind of stress test, if any, is right for you.
Please print out your paperwork and bring it to your appointment at Advanced Cardiology. If your insurance requires authorization, please be sure to have that information sent to our office or bring it with you to your appointment, along with any medical records you may have. Please also make sure to bring your insurance cards, photo ID, and medication list.
Thank you, and we look forward to meeting you! Contact us today with any questions.
Most insurance plans accepted
(713) 258-6111
Katy & Sugar Land Cardiologist
# Cooperative & professional staff. Dr. Khalid is highly competent & experienced. Very kind & friendly too.
# He’s A Very Caring & Concerned Doctor. He Asks Important Questions, He Allows Me To Ask Questions & Fully Answers To My Satisfaction. He Diagnosis & Does Whatever It Takes To Fix My Health Issues. He’s A Wonderful Doctor…& Most Of All, I Trust Him & His Staff.
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Katy & Sugar Land Cardiologist
Advanced Cardiology welcomes new patients at its offices in Katy and Sugar Land. Call our office or send an appointment request, and our staff will follow up.
Most major insurance plans accepted; coverage is verified individually.
For possible heart attack or stroke symptoms, call 911.
