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Prevalence and significance of electrocardiographic changes and side effect profile of regadenoson compared with

Maliha Zahid1, Aaysha Kapila, Cecelia E Eagan

  • 1Excela Health System, Excela Health Cardiology, Greensburg, PA, USA ; Department of Developmental Biology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.

Journal of Cardiovascular Disease Research
|September 12, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Electrocardiogram (EKG) changes are infrequent and have low sensitivity for detecting ischemia with both regadenoson and adenosine. Chest pain is common with both agents but does not predict ischemia on nuclear imaging.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Nuclear Medicine
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • The clinical significance of electrocardiogram (EKG) changes and side effects associated with regadenoson compared to adenosine in a real-world population remains unclear.
  • Adenosine and regadenoson are commonly used pharmacologic stress agents in nuclear cardiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the incidence of EKG changes and side effects between regadenoson and adenosine in patients undergoing nuclear imaging.
  • To evaluate the predictive value of chest pain for ischemia on nuclear imaging.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective evaluation of 396 consecutive patients undergoing regadenoson or adenosine-based single-isotope nuclear imaging.
  • Standardized data collection for side effects immediately post-administration.
  • Blinded review of EKGs and nuclear scans.

Main Results:

  • Flushing and chest pain were more frequent with adenosine, while dyspnea was more common with regadenoson.
  • EKG changes occurred infrequently (10% adenosine, 16% regadenoson) and had low sensitivity for detecting ischemia (11% adenosine, 7% regadenoson).
  • No significant correlation was found between chest pain and ischemia on nuclear imaging.

Conclusions:

  • Electrocardiogram (EKG) changes associated with regadenoson and adenosine are infrequent and possess low sensitivity for ischemia detection.
  • Chest pain is a common side effect for both agents but is not indicative of inducible ischemia on nuclear imaging.
Abstract

Keywords:
AdenosineElectrocardiographic changesRegadenoson

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