[The early bicycle ergometry test in drug-stabilized patients with unstable angina pectoris; its risk and benefit]

The risk of an early submaximum symptom-limited bicycle ergometry [correction of veloergometric] test and its prognostic value up to the end of the first year since the onset of unstable angina pectoris were studied in 258 patients with unstable angina pectoris who had been stabilized by medicamentous treatment. During the bicycle ergometry [correction of veloergometric] test no serious complications were observed. In 22 patients (35.7%) the test was negative and in 166 patients (64.3%) it was positive (angina pectoris and/or horizontal ST depression greater than or equal to 0.1 mV at 80 ms from the point J). In the patients with a positive test the prognosis is statistically worse (death, acute myocardial infarction, aortocoronary bypass, relapse of the unstable angina pectoris and angina pectoris of III and IV functional class according to NYNA/than in the patients with a negative bicycle ergometry [correction of veloergometric] test. The early bicycle ergometry [correction of veloergometric] test is with a high sensitivity (92.6%) and a lower specificity (66.7%) in recognizing the patients with a poor prognosis. The total prognostic accuracy of the test is 80.2%. It classifies the patients with unstable angina pectoris into two groups: with favourable and poor prognosis and helps in the selection of patients for surgical treatment.