Ambulatory heart rate and ST-segment depression during painful and silent myocardial ischemia in chronic stable
Insights
Heart rate and ST-segment depression during ischemia were studied in coronary artery disease patients. Ambulatory monitoring showed similar heart rates but greater ST-segment depression during ischemic episodes compared to exercise tests.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Clinical Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) can cause angina.
- Ischemic ST-segment depression is a key indicator of myocardial ischemia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between heart rate and ST-segment depression during ischemic episodes in patients with CAD.
- To compare ambulatory ischemic events with exercise-induced ischemia.
Main Methods:
- Seventy patients with documented CAD and angina underwent treadmill exercise testing.
- 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring was conducted.
- Data were compared between exercise tests and ambulatory monitoring.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in heart rate was observed between exercise and ambulatory monitoring during ischemic episodes.
- Ambulatory monitoring revealed a greater magnitude of ST-segment depression during ischemic episodes compared to exercise-induced ischemia (p < 0.05).
- A significant portion (64%) of ST-segment depression episodes were asymptomatic.
Conclusions:
- Heart rate during ischemic episodes is similar whether induced by exercise or occurring spontaneously.
- ST-segment depression during spontaneous ischemia may be more pronounced than during exercise-induced ischemia.
- Asymptomatic ST-segment depression is common in patients with CAD.
Abstract:
The relation between heart rate and ischemic ST-segment depression was studied in 70 patients with documented obstructive coronary artery disease (CAD) and reproducible effort angina. Symptom-limited treadmill exercise testing was performed before and after a 2-week placebo period and 24-hour FM ambulatory electrocardiographic monitoring at the end of the placebo period. The means (+/- standard deviation) of the basal and placebo values for exercise time, heart rate and maximal ST-segment depression were: 6.4 +/- 2.6 minutes vs 6.9 +/- 2.8 minutes (difference not significant [NS]), 125 +/- 17 beats/min vs 125 +/- 19 beats/min (NS) and 2.3 +/- 0.8 mm vs 2.1 +/- 0.8 (NS), respectively. Ambulatory monitoring revealed 205 episodes of significant ST-segment depression (J + 80 ms; 49 episodes with more than 1 mm, 83 with more than 2 mm, 39 with more than 3 mm and 34 with more than 4 mm). Of all episodes of ST-segment depression, 130 (64%) were asymptomatic. The episodes lasted for 3 to 110 minutes. The maximal 24-hour ambulatory heart rate and ST-segment depression during ischemic episodes were expressed as a percentage of those seen during exercise-induced ischemia. When all ambulatory ischemic episodes (both symptomatic and asymptomatic) were compared with exercise-induced ischemic changes in the individual patient, there was little difference in heart rate (91 +/- 15% vs 90 +/- 18%, NS) but there was a greater magnitude of ST-segment depression (122 +/- 57% vs 104 +/- 52%, p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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