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- 1). Bring the patient into the exercise area. Take the patient's heart rate and blood pressure when he is at rest and then have him get on the treadmill.
- 2). Peel off the cover of the sticky electrodes. An EKG test records results on paper during the procedure, and each lead is attached to the skin over different parts of the heart. Despite the name 12 lead EKG, there are only 10 connections. Begin with Leads AVF 2 and 3, which should be attached to the area near the bottom portion of the heart. Leads V1 and V2 should be placed on the chest over the partition of the heart. V3-V6 leads are placed at the front area of the heart, and Leads 1 and AVL are placed at the top and outer left area of the heart. The purpose of the AVR lead is to examine the function of the heart cavity. Each of the leads will look at how well the heart functions and if electrical impulses are sent to create a picture of any potential problems that should be treated.
- 3). Check to see what combination of three the physician wants monitored during the treadmill test. Make sure that three of the leads for the EKG display information on the treadmill monitor.
- 4). Choose the slow or warm-up option on the treadmill. Set the preferences so that the treadmill speed and incline will change every three minutes. The treadmill at your facility should be pre-programmed, so choose the Bruce method. There are three stages of the treadmill test that will total nine minutes, three minutes for each stage.
- 5). Take the patient's blood pressure at the second minute during each stage. If the blood pressure is too high or too low, continue to retake the patient's blood pressure.
- 6). Stop the test after the patient has been on the treadmill for nine minutes. Have him sit down and retake blood pressure and heart rate.
Administering a Treadmill Test
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