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The value of postcardiac infarction exercise stress testing: Identification of a group at high risk
Author(s) -
Srinivasan Malathic,
Young Alison,
Baker Geoff,
Sloman J. Graeme,
Hunt David
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1981.tb112940.x
Subject(s) - medicine , myocardial infarction , coronary care unit , depression (economics) , cardiology , infarction , st depression , intensive care unit , bicycle ergometer , physical therapy , heart rate , surgery , st segment , blood pressure , economics , macroeconomics
We prospectively selected 154 patients who had survived acute myocardial infarction with electrical and/or mechanical complications to undergo an exercise stress test, four to six weeks after discharge from the Coronary Care Unit, Royal Melbourne Hospital. The patients exercised on a bicycle ergometer until they were unable to continue or had reached 70% of their predicted maximum heart rate for their age. Eighteen (11.7%) patients exhibited flat ST‐depression of 1 mm or more on exercise. Six of these 18 patients later died (33.3%). Only seven (5.1 %) of the 136 patients who exhibited no electrocardiographic change died during follow‐up. We conclude that patients recording positive exercise stress test results after acute myocardial infarction, have a poorer prognosis and therefore should be considered for more intensive medical or surgical treatment.