Stress test or heart cath for beter results

Different info/risk: In a stress test, you have an echocardiogram (sound wave test to evaluate the muscle squeeze, valve function, etc), you exercise, and then get re-echo'd to see if the heart acts differently at peak activity. A heart cath or angiogram involves placing a catheter in the groin, feeding it up to the big vessels that lead into the heart, and injecting contrast to assess blockages. More risk, more info.

Low vs ?Higher Value: Stress tests only capable of detecting very advanced disease, ↑chances of heart attack & do nothing to solve issues (I quit doing these 1995). Angiogram with PTCA option has risks (usually small) but can see problems & offers opportunity to open arteries & decrease symptoms at same time. The bigger issues are optimizing lipoproteins (NMR particle test), BbA1c & BP, etc. to ↓↓↓ disease progression.