Two-step electrocardiogram for chest pain reported on multiphasic screening

Among 264 consecutive persons (142 men, 122 women) greater than or equal to 35 years of age presenting for multiphasic screening examination, 85 (54 men, 31 women) reported chest pain. In most, the pain was not typical of coronary artery disease. The two-step exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) was positive (greater than or equal to 0.5-mm ischemic ST depression) in 21% of the patients who reported pain and in 19.5% of 66 randomly selected, similarly examined controls without chest pain (36 men, 30 women) (difference not significant). Females with positive ECGs (5-mm or 1-mm depression) predominated over males greater than or equal to 5:1 in the chest pain group and greater than 3:1 in controls. This study indicates that the routine two-step exercise ECG is not helpful in detecting ischemic heart disease in persons reporting chest pain during their multiphasic screening examination.