French Society of Cardiology guidelines on exercise tests (part 2): Indications for exercise tests in cardiac diseases.

The exercise test is performed routinely in cardiology; its main indication is the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia, evaluated along with the subject's pretest probability and cardiovascular risk level. Other criteria, such as analysis of repolarization, must be taken into consideration during the interpretation of an exercise test, to improve its predictive value. An exercise test is also indicated for many other cardiac diseases (e.

French Society of Cardiology guidelines on exercise tests (part 1): Methods and interpretation.

The exercise test is still a key examination in cardiology, used for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia, as well as for the clinical evaluation of other heart diseases. The cardiopulmonary exercise test can further define functional capacity and prognosis for any given cardiac pathology. These new guidelines focus on methods, interpretation and indications for an exercise test or cardiopulmonary exercise test, as summarized below.

Effects of combined exercise training and electromyostimulation treatments in chronic heart failure: A prospective multicentre study.

Background Exercise training as part of a comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation is recommended for patients with cardiac heart failure. It is a valuable method for the improvement of exercise tolerance. Some studies reported a similar improvement with quadricipital electrical myostimulation, but the effect of combined exercise training and electrical myostimulation in cardiac heart failure has not been yet evaluated in a large prospective multicentre study.

Validation of the French version of the MacNew heart disease health-related quality of life questionnaire.

Background: Assessment of health-related quality of life is widely recommended by European health agencies in relevant research studies as well as in clinical care.

Aims: To validate the French version of the MacNew heart disease health-related quality of life questionnaire.

Methods: As part of the International HeartQoL Project, 323 French-speaking patients with ischaemic heart disease (angina, n=76; myocardial infarction [MI], n=155; heart failure, n=91; mean age 58.

Characteristics of diabetic patients and diabetes care in cardiac rehabilitation.

Background: Although diabetes is associated with a high cardiovascular risk, very little information is available about diabetic patients enrolled in cardiac rehabilitation (CR).

Aims: To analyse the characteristics of diabetic patients and diabetes care in CR.

Methods: From the database of 700 patients enrolled in CR during a 29-month period, we analysed data from all patients with glucose metabolism disorders (n=105) and 210 matched normoglycaemic patients.

Review on depression and coronary heart disease.

The impact of psychological factors on somatic disorders - and vice versa - and the involvement of biological mechanisms in psychic disorders have generated considerable interest in recent years, notably thanks to cutting-edge investigation techniques (immunohistochemistry, functional imaging, genetics, etc.). In the field of psychosomatics, coronary heart disease (CHD) is a frequent co-morbidity of mental disorders, particularly mood disorders.