[Importance of the intravenous isoprenaline test in diagnosing ischemic heart disease]

The isoprenaline test was performed in 89 patients with CHD and cardialgias of various origins. The diagnosis was verified by coronarography and bicycle ergometry in 60 patients. Isoprenaline was administered via intravenous drip, with the initial rate of 2-3 micrograms/min eventually increased until clinical or electrocardiographic signs of myocardial ischemia emerged, or the heart rate reached 130 beats per minute. When compared with coronarographic and bicycle-ergometric results, the isoprenaline test was shown to be highly sensitive and specific (64.3 and 95.2%), as evidenced by the electrocardiographic positive-result criteria, and superior to bicycle ergometry in its diagnostic possibilities. The isoprenaline test is recommended for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease in cardiologic and therapeutic hospital units. The test can be a method of choice in cases where rationed exercise tests are impossible to achieve.