Low-level exercise echocardiography identifies contractile reserve in patients with a recent myocardial infarction: Comparison with dobutamine stress echocardiography☆
Abstract
Contractile reserve (CR) during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) identifies patients with coronary artery disease whose left ventricular function and prognosis may improve after revascularization. To test the hypothesis that the early stages of upright bicycle-exercise echocardiography (LLEx) result in CR comparable with DSE, 30 patients 1 week after myocardial infarction underwent multistage LLEx and DSE. At low and peak LLEx, heart rate and systolic blood pressure were higher than DSE. Identification of CR by LLEx was concordant with DSE when analyzed by infarct zone or by individual patient. We conclude that CR can be demonstrated during LLEx that correlates with DSE in patients with a recent MI. Low-level exercise is a promising alternative to DSE for identifying contractile reserve after MI. (J Am Soc Echocardiogr 2002;15:671-7.)
Torrance and Los Angeles, California
From the Division of Cardiology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Research and Education Institute, Torrance, California, and University Hospital, Keck-University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles (S.S.)
☆ Reprint requests: Leonard E. Ginzton, MD, Division of Cardiology, Box 405, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1000 W Carson St, Torrance, CA 90502 (E-mail: lginzton@ucla.edu).
ABSTRACT