Lesson 1Pre-test screening for contraindications and risk stratification (BP thresholds, unstable angina, recent MI)This lesson reviews checks before the test to find reasons not to do it and sort risks, including blood pressure limits, unstable chest pain, recent heart attack, and other issues that may delay or change testing.
Looking at medical history and diagnosesFinding absolute no-go reasonsRelative cautions and careBlood pressure and heart rhythm checksAssigning risk group and planning testLesson 2Post-exercise recovery monitoring: ECG and vitals timeline, observation duration, criteria for dischargeThis lesson covers planned watching after exercise, including ECG and vital signs schedule, reasons for longer recovery, and safe going-home decisions after treadmill tests, focusing on spotting late heart issues or irregular beats.
Right after exercise ECG recording orderBlood pressure and heart rate recovery timesWatching for late heart lack or irregular beatsHow long to watch and record pointsHealth rules for safe home dischargeLesson 3Operator actions for adverse events: ischemic changes, sustained arrhythmia, hypotension, syncopeThis lesson covers what the operator does when bad events happen, like spotting and quick handling of heart flow changes, ongoing irregular beats, low blood pressure, fainting, and working with emergency teams.
Quick steps for heart flow ST changesHandling ongoing fast irregular beatsResponse to low pressure and near-faintDealing with faint and safe fallsStarting emergency and code stepsLesson 4ECG monitoring during stages: what ST changes, arrhythmias, and rate responses to watch forThis lesson details ECG changes to watch in each treadmill stage, like ST line shifts, T-wave changes, irregular beats, and heart rate replies, stressing early spot of heart lack and odd rate or recovery patterns.
Expected heart rate and rhythm repliesST line down and up patternsT-wave and U-wave exercise changesSpotting ventricle and atrium irregular beatsRate weakness and recovery patternsLesson 5Blood pressure monitoring schedule and technique during exercise phasesThis lesson explains right blood pressure measure during exercise, like cuff choice, timing per stage, way to cut movement error, and reading normal and odd pressure replies.
Picking cuff size and arm spotTiming blood pressure reads per stageListening method on moving patientNormal high and low pressure repliesSpotting low and high pressure trendsLesson 6Electrode setup for continuous monitoring and optimal lead selection for ischemia detectionThis lesson explains right skin prep, electrode spots, and lead picks to best spot heart lack in treadmill tests, stressing cutting errors and steady high-quality ECG watch all stages.
Skin prep and error cut stepsStandard arm and chest electrode spotsChanged chest lead spots for stress testsPicking watch leads for ST line checkCable handling and movement error controlLesson 7Informed consent and patient briefing: test goals, stopping criteria, and expected sensationsThis lesson outlines getting full agreement and briefing patients on test aim, steps, expected feelings, and stop rules, ensuring they understand, join in, and worry less before treadmill stress test in Ghana.
Explaining test aims and health reasonsDescribing treadmill steps one by oneTalking about expected feelings in exerciseReviewing absolute and relative stop rulesAnswering patient questions and worriesLesson 8Criteria for immediate escalation: absolute and relative indications to stop the testThis lesson defines absolute and relative signs to stop treadmill test, like ECG changes, blood pressure issues, bad symptoms, and equipment problems, and when to quick-step to urgent health check.
Absolute signs to stop right awayRelative signs needing wise choiceECG triggers for endingBlood pressure and symptom limitsAfter-end medical quick stepsLesson 9Standard treadmill protocols (e.g., Bruce) and stage timing/parametersThis lesson reviews common treadmill plans like Bruce and changed Bruce, including stage times, speed and slope shifts, and picking based on patient fitness, age, and health reason for stress test.
Bruce plan stages, speed, and slopeChanged Bruce and low-level plansRamp and personal treadmill plansPicking plan for patient stateSafely changing or ending stagesLesson 10Symptom and exertion monitoring: dyspnea, chest pain, dizziness, fatigue—use of Borg/RPE scaleThis lesson explains steady watching of symptoms and effort using planned questions and Borg or RPE scale, linking patient effort reports with ECG and blood flow replies per treadmill stage.
Using Borg and RPE scales rightChecking chest pain and heart pain symptomsWatching breath trouble, dizziness, and tirednessLinking symptoms with ECG changesTalking with patients per stageLesson 11Baseline measurements: resting ECG, blood pressure, symptom inventory, functional capacity estimateThis lesson describes start checks before exercise, like resting ECG, blood pressure, symptom review, medicines, and ability estimate, to find existing issues and guide plan pick and test safety.
Resting 12-lead ECG getting and reviewStart blood pressure and heart rate recordSymptom past and now complaint listMedicine review and timing before testEstimating ability and effort unitsLesson 12Documentation items for stress test: baseline findings, stage-by-stage data, reasons for terminationThis lesson defines key records for treadmill tests, like start data, stage-by-stage ECG, vitals, symptoms, work, and end reasons, for clear talk and legal full records in Ghana.
Recording start ECG and vital signsStage-by-stage speed, slope, and effort logSymptom, irregular beat, and blood pressure event notesRecording end reason and timeSumming key findings for report
