Five-year cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, and myocardial infarction in all subjects referred for exercise testing in two Danish counties

Exercise testing and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy in primary care patients with chest pain of new onset

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the outcome of exercise testing and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) in primary care patients with chest pain of new onset.

DESIGN

Prospective, observational. Patients aged 20-79 years, consulting due to chest pain of new onset, were enrolled consecutively.

SETTING

Three primary care health centres in south-eastern Sweden.

PATIENTS

191 patients where the possibility of stable ischaemic heart disease (IHD) could not be excluded by clinical examination alone.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Exercise test results, when equivocal completed by MPS.

RESULTS

Exercise testing revealed IHD in 14 (7%) and no IHD in 134 (70%) of the cases. In 43 (23%) the exercise test results were equivocal. Thirty-nine of these patients underwent MPS, which showed IHD in 19 and no IHD in 20 cases. Among previously diagnosed cardiovascular disease and risk factors only atrial fibrillation in the male group showed a significant correlation to the outcome IHD.

CONCLUSION

Exercise testing and MPS are both useful when investigating chest pain patients in primary care.