# Cardiac Stress Tests for Pilots Licenses

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardiac-stress-tests-for-pilots-licenses/548434>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 29, 2010, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardiac-stress-tests-for-pilots-licenses/548434 "2010-07-29T09:32:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardiac-stress-tests-for-pilots-licenses/548434/1 "2010-07-29T09:32:32Z")

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OK, to train to fly, since I have high blood pressure I have to pass a flight physical with a cardiac stress test. How the hell does one do a cardiac stress test when you are normally in a wheelchair or use crutches?[I do have use of my feet and legs, just not in a weight bearing sense of more than 5 to 10 minutes of time. They work nonweight bearingly just fine for driving purposes.]

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**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardiac-stress-tests-for-pilots-licenses/548434/2 "2010-07-29T11:41:26Z")

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They can give you an intravenous medication to raise your pulse rate. At least they can for a normal stress test. I don’t know about the flight physical.

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**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\
**Post date:** [July 29, 2010, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardiac-stress-tests-for-pilots-licenses/548434/3 "2010-07-29T11:43:09Z")

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Wheel chair + treadmill ;).

Edit: [Olean General Hospital/Bradford Regional Medical Center](http://www.brmc.com/index.aspx?id=680&tabid=134) confirms **Bill Door** ’s post.

> [@](#):
>
> For individuals unable to walk (i.e. wheelchair-bound), a non-exercise stress test is performed in which a solution administered through an IV helps provide the physician with information about your physical condition.