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Published on: February 10, 2013

Safety of stress testing in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Jeanne K Drinko1, Patrick J Nash, Harry M Lever

  • 1Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9000 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.

The American Journal of Cardiology
|May 29, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Stress testing in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is generally safe. Major complications are rare (0.04%), though minor events occur in 23% of patients.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Clinical Exercise Physiology

Background:

  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a significant cause of sudden cardiac death.
  • Risk stratification in HCM often involves exercise stress testing.
  • Understanding the safety profile of stress testing in HCM patients is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the safety and complication rates of exercise stress testing in a consecutive cohort of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
  • To determine the incidence of major and minor adverse events during stress testing in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 263 consecutive patients diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
  • Review of all stress testing procedures performed within the study period.
  • Documentation and categorization of all major and minor complications occurring during or immediately after stress testing.

Main Results:

  • A total of 263 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy underwent stress testing.
  • Major complications were infrequent, occurring in only 0.04% of patients.
  • Minor adverse events were observed in 23% of the patient cohort.

Conclusions:

  • Exercise stress testing is a low-risk procedure for most patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
  • While major complications are rare, awareness and monitoring for minor events are warranted.
  • Stress testing remains a valuable tool for risk assessment and management in HCM.

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