Original Article Exercise Testing Early After Myocardial Infarction: Comparison with Echocardiography, Electrocardiographic Monitoring and Coronary

Background: Predischarge exercise testing early after myocardial infarction is useful for risk stratification, exercise prescription, and assessment of prognosis and treatment. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the findings of exercise testing early after myocardial infarction with those of echocardiography, electrocardiographic monitoring (24-hour Holter monitoring) and coronary angiography. Methods: We evaluated 60 cases (mean age of 51.42 ± 9.34 years), of which 46 were males (77%). The symptom-limited maximal exercise test according to the Naughton protocol12 was performed between the sixth day of hospitalization and hospital discharge, with the patients on medication. During hospitalization, the patients underwent echocardiography, electrocardiographic monitoring and coronary angiography. The significance level was set at 0.05 (α = 5%). Results: Exercise testing had a poor performance in the detection of multivessel coronary artery disease (sensitivity, 42%; specificity, 69%). No significant differences were found when the presence of ischemia on exercise test was compared with multivessel coronary disease, complex ventricular arrhythmias on electrocardiographic monitoring, and the finding of an ejection fraction lower than 60 % on echocardiography (p = 0.56), as well as with the presence of multivessel lesions, complex ventricular arrhythmias on electrocardiographic monitoring and abnormal ejection fraction on echocardiography (p = 0.36)