Which procedure is performed under controlled exercise to assess cardiac function?

• A. Pulmonary Function Tests (PFTs)
• B. Sodium Levels
• C. Stress Test
• D. Thoracentesis

Answer: (C)

Assessing how the heart handles activity under increasing workload is the goal of a stress test. During this procedure, the patient exercises on a treadmill or stationary bike while the heart’s electrical activity is monitored with an ECG, and blood pressure along with symptoms are tracked. The intensity is carefully increased under supervision to create a controlled stress on the heart, helping to reveal how well the heart works during exertion, whether there is ischemia, and the patient’s functional capacity. If a patient can’t exercise, a pharmacologic stress test can be used, but the core idea remains evaluating cardiac function under controlled stress. By contrast, pulmonary function tests measure lung function, sodium levels are a blood test, and thoracentesis is a fluid-removal procedure, none of which specifically assess cardiac response to exercise.