No solid foods 4 hours before your appointment. No caffeine (tea, coffee, chocolate, soft drinks, Tylenol 1-3) 24 hours prior to the appointment. Consult with your referring physician if beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers should be discontinued 48 hours prior to the appointment. Wear comfortable clothing and shoes and bring a list of all your current medications.
An IV will be inserted into your hand or arm and a small amount of radioactive tracer will be administered. An image of your heart will then be taken afterwards under a Gamma camera. Afterwards, you will be prepared for an exercise or medication-induced stress test. You will be given another injection of the radioactive tracer at peak exercise, after which another image of your heart will be captured. Most of the radioactive isotope will be eliminated from your body via urine and the intensity of the radioactivity will diminish over time.