Exercise testing in Sweden: a survey of procedures.

This report surveys the techniques of exercise testing of patients in twenty out of twenty-four (83%) Clinical Physiological Departments in Sweden. The study shows that bicycle ergometry is the predominant technique used. In the vast majority of hospitals, the standards of practice employed are high and adequate safety precautions are observed. However, criteria for exclusion from and interruption of exercise testing differ from one hospital to another. Limit values for heart rate, breathing frequency and blood pressure are by no means standardized. The criteria for distinguishing between normal and pathological electrocardiographic response vary. We conclude that in order to reduce complication rates and prevent accidents there is a need for further evaluations of the optimal use of exercise stress testing.