Long term outcome in patients with silent versus symptomatic ischaemia during dobutamine stress echocardiography

E Biagini1, A F L Schinkel, J J Bax

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Thoraxcentre, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Insights

Patients with silent ischemia during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) had similar ischemia extent but higher cardiac events. They received less treatment, indicating a need for improved management strategies for silent ischemia.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Clinical Prognosis

Background:

  • Dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is crucial for assessing myocardial ischemia.
  • Distinguishing between silent and symptomatic ischemia is important for long-term patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the long-term prognosis of patients with silent versus symptomatic myocardial ischemia identified during DSE.
  • To evaluate differences in treatment and cardiac event rates between these patient groups.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study involving 931 patients with stress-induced myocardial ischemia during DSE.
  • Analysis of cardiac death and non-fatal infarction rates over a mean follow-up of 5.5 years.
  • Multivariable Cox regression to identify independent predictors of cardiac events.

Main Results:

  • Silent ischemia was present in 69% of patients and was an independent predictor of cardiac death and myocardial infarction (HR 1.7).
  • Patients with silent ischemia had a higher annual cardiac event rate (4.6%) compared to symptomatic patients (3.0%).
  • Symptomatic patients received more cardioprotective therapy and coronary revascularisation (50% vs. 27%).

Conclusions:

  • Silent ischemia during DSE predicts a worse long-term prognosis compared to symptomatic ischemia.
  • Patients with silent ischemia experience higher cardiac event rates despite similar ischemia severity.
  • Under-treatment of silent ischemia highlights a critical area for therapeutic intervention and improved patient management.
Abstract

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