Programming exercise intensity in patients on beta-blocker treatment: the importance of choosing an appropriate method.

Aim: To verify the usefulness of current recommended level of target exercise heart rate (HR) and of different HR-based methods for calculating target HR in patients with and without beta-blocker treatment.

Methods: We studied 53 patients not treated with beta-blocker and 159 patients on beta-blocker treatment. All patients underwent a maximal exercise test with gas analysis, and first ventilatory threshold (VT1 or aerobic threshold), second ventilatory threshold (VT2 or anaerobic threshold), time of exercise, maximum load, metabolic parameters, HR at rest (HRrest), HRpeak, HR at VT1 (HRVT1) and at VT2 (HRVT2), and 75, 80, and 85% of HRmax (HR75%, HR80%, HR85%) were calculated.

[The value of cardiac troponin I as diagnostic test in the study of chest pain].

Background And Objectives: Cardiac troponin I is a highly sensitive and specific myocardial injury marker. We have analyzed the use of cardiac troponin I values in the diagnosis of coronary artery disease, in previously healthy patients who developed chest pain with inconclusive analytical and ECG diagnostic findings.

Patients, Material And Methods: A one year cross-sectional consecutive study was conducted, in a total of 37 patients with no previously known heart disease who were admitted to the coronary unit for suspected anginal chest pain with normal cardiac enzymes and ECG.

[Identification of the ischemic origin of dilated myocardiopathy using positron emission tomography].

Introduction And Objectives: The aim of this study was to differentiate ischemic from nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy with positron emission tomography. This differentiation is necessary to establish an adequate treatment, and it is often difficult with non-invasive diagnostic procedures.

Methods: Ten patients with an echocardiographic diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy who had undergone coronary angiography were selected.

[The use of the average activity contained in the circular areas of interest on the polar map in identifying affected coronary arteries].

Introduction And Objectives: We studied the feasibility to identify coronary lesions of the average regional activity obtained by regions of interest displayed on the three main coronary territories from the polar map (left anterior descending artery, circumflex and right coronary artery).

Methods: In 125 patients with angiographic diagnosis of coronary artery disease, were made tomographic studies with technetium-99m isonitrile to analyze the average regional activity, in rest and stress.

Results: According to the stepwise logistic regression test, the stress average regional activity is significant and independent correlated with the stenosis rate (r = -0.