The diagnosis of cardiovascular disease may require the patient to physically alter their
heart activity. The heart under stress from such activities as walking or running can give
a clearer diagnostic picture than can a heart at rest. Although low, there are risks to stressing
through exercise the heart of someone with suspected heart disease. Mortality was 0.5
per 10,000 in the United States and 0.2 per 10,000 in Europe in the late 1970s. Morbidity,
primarily from ventricular tachyarrhythmias, is equally infrequent (Mukharji, 1988).
Stress testing is performed under tightly controlled conditions, with continuous cardiac
function monitoring, and with full cardiac resuscitation capability available. Conventional
and nuclear stress testing are available.