Cardiac stress testing of hemiparetic patients with a supine bicycle ergometer: preliminary study

Ten hemiparetic subjects underwent functional cardiac stress testing on a supine bicycle ergometer. Their heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), and rate pressure product (RPP) were determined at rest and at incremental workloads. Three subjects with no previous history of coronary artery disease (CAD) had positive test results diagnostic or suggestive of CAD. None of the three subjects with a history of myocardial infarction displayed any ECG abnormalities during the exercise. The RPPs obtained during testing were compared to those recorded during various rehabilitation activities. As some difficulties arose in the performance and interpretation of the stress test in patients receiving beta-blocking medication and others with arthritis, spasticity, and orthopedic problems, procedures for handling these problems needed review. The supine bicycle proved to be an appropriate device for cardiac stress testing in a hemiparetic population.