Treadmill, exercise: A machine used to obtain a continuous electrocardiogram recording of the heart as a patient performs increasing levels of exercise. An exercise treadmill permits the detection of abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) and provides a screening test for the presence of narrowed arteries to the heart (coronary arteries). Narrowing of these arteries can limit the supply of oxygenated blood to the heart muscle during exercise.
