Tilt table testing

Tilt table testing is a test performed as an outpatient within Wythenshawe Cardiology Department. Most people undergo this test for the investigation of blackouts or dizziness.

The tilt table test measures the body's response to standing upright for a long period of time and is designed to try and reproduce the symptoms you have had in a controlled environment to see if these symptoms might be related to an abnormality with your heart rate or blood pressure.

When you arrive you will be asked to remove your clothes from the waist upwards and will be given a gown to wear. Stickers will be placed on the chest and arms which will monitor your heartbeat throughout the test. A blood pressure cuff will be placed on your arm and your blood pressure will be checked frequently.
You will then be asked to lean on an upright bed and secured to the bed with Velcro straps and you will be laid on the bed in a relatively upright position for up to 45 minutes whilst your blood pressure and heart rate are monitored.

If you feel unwell or faint at any time you should let the staff present in the room know and they may decide to stop the test and/or lay the bed down flat.

Sometimes you are also given a medication known as GTN (the red angina medication) under your tongue. This is a short-lived medication which sometimes causes a headache.

The results of the test are not usually available on the day of the test. After your test a report will be generated and given to your Healthcare Professional.