Evaluation of the patient with angina pectoris

All patients with chronic stable angina presumed to be due to coronary artery disease should undergo exercise stress testing early in evaluation for evidence of high-risk coronary disease. If the exercise stress test shows early positive findings, patients should undergo cardiac catheterization to exclude left main coronary vessel disease and three-vessel disease with concomitant left ventricular dysfunction. Patients with unstable angina who are subsequently stabilized on medical therapy should undergo a limited exercise stress test before discharge from the hospital to identify those at high risk. An ambulatory ECG is also helpful in evaluating for evidence of silent ischemia in these patients.