Cardiac Perfusion Scan

The cardiac scanning test itself is painless.

• You may feel a brief stinging or burning sensation when the IV is inserted into your vein.
• You may be uncomfortable lying still for an extended period of time on the table during the scans.
• If medicine to stress your heart is used, you may have symptoms of mild nausea, headache, dizziness, flushing, or chest pain. These symptoms only last a few minutes.
• If you are asked to exercise, you may have chest pain, breathlessness, lightheadedness, aching in your leg muscles, and fatigue. Report these to the technician. If the symptoms are severe, the exercise part of the test may be stopped.
• You will be asked to remain very still during each scan, which takes about 5 to 10 minutes. The camera will move to take more pictures at different angles. Several scans will be taken.

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