Cardiac PET

• Wear loose, comfortable clothing and comfortable walking shoes.
• Since your blood pressure will be checked periodically during the test, wear a short-sleeved shirt or blouse.
• Do not wear boots, jumpsuits, overalls, or a dress.
• Please do not eat or drink anything with caffeine in it for 24 hours before your stress test. Items with caffeine include sodas, "caffeine-free" sodas, coffee, decaf coffee, tea, decaf tea, chocolate, Excedrin and certain cold or diet pills.
• Do not eat anything four hours prior to the stress test. If you are diabetic, follow your normal regimen but eat light. You may have juice before the test if needed.
• Please do not smoke or exercise eight hours before testing.
• You should continue to take all medications, unless your cardiologist instructs you to do otherwise.
• If you use inhalers, bring them to the test.

When you begin the cardiac PET at our heart center in Plano, a small IV line will be placed in a vein in your arm. The IV will allow us to inject a small amount of a radiopharmaceutical so that the PET camera can take pictures of the heart. You will be asked to lie on a scanning table made especially for the PET camera.

A blood pressure cuff will be placed around your other arm to monitor your blood pressure during the test. Electrodes will be placed on your chest to monitor your electrocardiogram throughout the test.

You will lie on your back with your arms above your head while the camera takes images of the blood flow to your heart from many different angles. During this process, regadenoson will be injected for stress images. The pictures are stored in digital form on a special computer.

Who will give me the results?

After a review of the test, your medical history, other imaging modalities and previous tests by a Baylor Scott & White Legacy Heart Center cardiologist, a report will be sent to the ordering physician. The ordering physician will then review and provide the results.