Before starting the exercise regimen in arterial insufficiency therapy, what must be done?

Before starting the exercise regimen in arterial insufficiency therapy, what must be done?

• A. Resting ECG
• B. Coronary angiography
• C. Echocardiography stress test
• D. ECG stress test

Answer: (D)

Starting an exercise program in arterial insufficiency (PAD) requires confirming that the heart can safely handle increased activity and that there’s no hidden, exercise‑provoked coronary disease. An ECG stress test does this by monitoring the heart's electrical activity while the patient performs graded exercise. It can reveal inducible ischemia or arrhythmias that would influence how vigorously the patient can exercise and what precautions to take. A resting ECG shows only baseline electrical Activity and may miss ischemia that only appears with stress. Coronary angiography is invasive and used when there’s strong suspicion of significant coronary disease or when planning revascularization, not as a routine pre-exercise screen. Echocardiography during stress provides detailed imaging of heart structure and function, but the standard initial screening for safely starting an exercise regimen is an ECG stress test, which directly assesses cardiac response to exertion.

Starting an exercise program in arterial insufficiency (PAD) requires confirming that the heart can safely handle increased activity and that there’s no hidden, exercise‑provoked coronary disease. An ECG stress test does this by monitoring the heart's electrical activity while the patient performs graded exercise. It can reveal inducible ischemia or arrhythmias that would influence how vigorously the patient can exercise and what precautions to take.

A resting ECG shows only baseline electrical Activity and may miss ischemia that only appears with stress. Coronary angiography is invasive and used when there’s strong suspicion of significant coronary disease or when planning revascularization, not as a routine pre-exercise screen. Echocardiography during stress provides detailed imaging of heart structure and function, but the standard initial screening for safely starting an exercise regimen is an ECG stress test, which directly assesses cardiac response to exertion.