A F Parisi1, P M Hartigan, E D Folland. 1. Department of Medicine, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the prognostic ability of cardiac exercise stress tests in predicting cardiac mortality and morbidity in a low risk group of patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD). BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have demonstrated the superior value of stress nuclear cardiac scintigraphy in the prognosis of patients with CAD, none of these studies have focused on patients with a proven angiographic low risk profile (i.e., single- and double-vessel CAD). METHODS:Three hundred twenty-eight patients with documented single- and double-vessel disease were treated by random assignment to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or medical therapy in the Angioplasty Compared to Medicine (ACME) trial. Six months after randomization, maximal symptom-limited exercise tests were performed with electrocardiography (n = 300) and thallium scintigraphy (n = 270). Patients were followed up for a minimum of 5 years thereafter. RESULTS: A reversible thallium perfusion deficit documented after 6 months of either therapy was associated with an adverse mortality outcome (18% mortality rate with a reversible thallium perfusion defect and 8% mortality rate with no reversible thallium perfusion deficit, p = 0.02). Moreover, an important mortality gradient was demonstrated in relation to the number of reperfusing defects (0 = 7%, 1 to 2 = 15%, >3 = 20%, p = 0.04). Exercise electrocardiography did not predict this mortality outcome. CONCLUSIONS: A reversible thallium perfusion deficit demonstrated 6 months after medical therapy or coronary angioplasty is a valuable prognostic marker in patients with angiographically documented single- and double-vessel disease and is superior to exercise electrocardiography in this regard.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVES: We sought to evaluate the prognostic ability of cardiac exercise stress tests in predicting cardiac mortality and morbidity in a low risk group of patients with established coronary artery disease (CAD). BACKGROUND: Although previous studies have demonstrated the superior value of stress nuclear cardiac scintigraphy in the prognosis of patients with CAD, none of these studies have focused on patients with a proven angiographic low risk profile (i.e., single- and double-vessel CAD). METHODS: Three hundred twenty-eight patients with documented single- and double-vessel disease were treated by random assignment to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or medical therapy in the Angioplasty Compared to Medicine (ACME) trial. Six months after randomization, maximal symptom-limited exercise tests were performed with electrocardiography (n = 300) and thallium scintigraphy (n = 270). Patients were followed up for a minimum of 5 years thereafter. RESULTS: A reversible thallium perfusion deficit documented after 6 months of either therapy was associated with an adverse mortality outcome (18% mortality rate with a reversible thallium perfusion defect and 8% mortality rate with no reversible thallium perfusion deficit, p = 0.02). Moreover, an important mortality gradient was demonstrated in relation to the number of reperfusing defects (0 = 7%, 1 to 2 = 15%, >3 = 20%, p = 0.04). Exercise electrocardiography did not predict this mortality outcome. CONCLUSIONS: A reversible thallium perfusion deficit demonstrated 6 months after medical therapy or coronary angioplasty is a valuable prognostic marker in patients with angiographically documented single- and double-vessel disease and is superior to exercise electrocardiography in this regard.
Authors: E Gordon Depuey; John J Mahmarian; Todd D Miller; Andrew J Einstein; Christopher L Hansen; Thomas A Holly; Edward J Miller; Donna M Polk; L Samuel Wann Journal: J Nucl Cardiol Date: 2012-04 Impact factor: 5.952
Authors: Leslee J Shaw; Gary V Heller; Paul Casperson; Romalisa Miranda-Peats; Piotr Slomka; John Friedman; Sean W Hayes; Ronald Schwartz; William S Weintraub; David J Maron; Marcin Dada; Spencer King; Koon Teo; Pamela Hartigan; William E Boden; Robert A O'Rourke; Daniel S Berman Journal: J Nucl Cardiol Date: 2006-09 Impact factor: 5.952