Adenosine myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomographic stress testing 24-72 h after uncomplicated myocardial infarction.

Safety of performing adenosine myocardial perfusion stress testing as early as 24 h after acute uncomplicated myocardial infarction is not known. We evaluated 31(14 females and 17 males, average age 72, range 46-89 years) consecutive patients with uncomplicated myocardial infarction, who underwent adenosine myocardial perfusion stress imaging, 24-72 h after infarction for risk stratification. Adenosine was infused at a rate of 140 microg/kg/min for 6 min. Twenty patients were presented with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Eleven patients were admitted with acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Patients were monitored for signs of complication during and immediately after the stress test. The average time from admission to performance of stress tests was 51 +/- 19 h, ranging from the minimum of 24 h to maximum 72 h. No complications related to adenosine infusion were detected. In conclusion, our data suggest that a further large study of early adenosine myocardial perfusion SPECT imaging may be safe in a carefully selected group of patients after uncomplicated myocardial infarction.