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A comparison of isometric exercise, cold pressor stimulation and dynamic exercise in patients with coronary heart

I N Findlay1, G Gillen, A D Cunningham

  • 1Cardiac Department, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, U.K.

European Heart Journal
|June 1, 1988
PubMed

Insights

Dynamic exercise effectively differentiates coronary heart disease patients from controls using left ventricular ejection fraction. Isometric exercise and cold pressor tests show little diagnostic value in coronary heart disease evaluation.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Diagnostic Imaging
  • Exercise Physiology

Background:

  • Isometric exercise and cold pressor stimulation are explored as alternatives to dynamic exercise for assessing coronary heart disease (CHD).
  • Evaluating cardiac function during stress is crucial for CHD diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the diagnostic utility of isometric exercise, cold pressor stimulation, and dynamic exercise in patients with coronary heart disease.
  • To assess changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in response to different stress modalities.

Main Methods:

  • Gated radionuclide ventriculography was used to measure LVEF in 13 male controls and 44 male patients with CHD.
  • Participants underwent isometric exercise, cold pressor stimulation, and dynamic exercise protocols.

Main Results:

  • Dynamic exercise significantly increased LVEF in controls but not in patients, effectively discriminating between the groups.
  • Isometric exercise and cold pressor stimulation did not significantly alter LVEF in controls and caused a significant fall in patients, with considerable overlap between groups.
  • LVEF changes during isometric and cold pressor tests showed limited ability to differentiate CHD patients from controls.

Conclusions:

  • Dynamic exercise is a valuable tool for diagnosing coronary heart disease by assessing LVEF response.
  • Isometric exercise and cold pressor stimulation have limited diagnostic value for coronary heart disease when assessed by radionuclide ventriculography.

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