The Relation of Arm Exercise Peak Heart Rate to Stress Test Results and Outcome.

Purpose: Arm exercise is an alternative to pharmacologic stress testing for >50% of patients unable to perform treadmill exercise, but no data exist regarding the effect of attained peak arm exercise heart rate on test sensitivity. Thus, the purpose of this investigation was to characterize the relationship of peak arm exercise heart rate responses to abnormal stress test findings, coronary revascularization, and mortality in patients unable to perform leg exercise.

Methods: From 1997 until 2002, arm cycle ergometer stress tests were performed in 443 consecutive veterans age 64.

A prognostic scoring system for arm exercise stress testing.

Objective: Arm exercise stress testing may be an equivalent or better predictor of mortality outcome than pharmacological stress imaging for the ≥50% for patients unable to perform leg exercise. Thus, our objective was to develop an arm exercise ECG stress test scoring system, analogous to the Duke Treadmill Score, for predicting outcome in these individuals.

Methods: In this retrospective observational cohort study, arm exercise ECG stress tests were performed in 443 consecutive veterans aged 64.

Cardiovascular mortality prediction in veterans with arm exercise vs pharmacologic myocardial perfusion imaging.

Background: No data exist comparing outcome prediction from arm exercise vs pharmacologic myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) stress test variables in patients unable to perform treadmill exercise.

Methods: In this retrospective study, 2,173 consecutive lower extremity disabled veterans aged 65.4 ± 11.

Arm exercise myocardial perfusion imaging for prognostication of long-term outcome.

Introduction: Pharmacologic evaluations constitute ≥50% of imaging stress tests, but exercise reduces adverse effects, improves myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) quality and diagnostic results, and provides powerful prognostic and clinically important information on exercise capacity and cardiovascular responses to the relevant physiologic stress of exercise. Thus, our purpose was to determine whether arm exercise and MPI variables predict long-term outcome in patients who cannot perform leg exercise.

Methods: We performed arm exercise MPI stress tests in 253 consecutive patients age 64.

Arm exercise as an alternative to pharmacologic stress testing: arm exercise stress testing and outcome.

Background: Treadmill exercise variables are powerful predictors of all-cause mortality but are unobtainable in at least 50% of patients because of disabilities precluding lower extremity exercise. Arm exercise stress testing is a potentially cost-effective alternative, but no long-term outcome data are available.

Methods: We performed arm ergometer stress tests on 446 veterans aged 64.

Arm exercise stress perfusion imaging predicts clinical outcome.

Treadmill exercise capacity in resting metabolic equivalents (METs) and stress hemodynamic, electrocardiographic (ECG), and myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) responses are independently predictive of adverse clinical events. However, limited data exist for arm ergometer stress testing (AXT) in patients who cannot perform leg exercise because of lower extremity disabilities. We sought to determine the extent to which AXT METs, hemodynamic, ECG, and MPI responses to arm exercise add independent incremental value to demographic and clinical variables for prediction of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), or late coronary revascularization, individually or as a composite.

Arm exercise testing predicts clinical outcome.

Background: Treadmill exercise testing provides prognostic and clinical information that is not available for patients with lower extremity disabilities who undergo pharmacologic stress tests. We sought to determine whether arm ergometer (AXT) exercise capacity in resting metabolic equivalents (METs) and hemodynamic and electrocardiographic responses to AXT are predictors of survival, myocardial infarction (MI), or coronary revascularization, individually or as a composite.

Methods: A prospective cohort of 359 veterans aged 63 +/- 11 (SD) years, who were unable or unwilling to perform treadmill exercise, underwent AXT stress testing for clinical reasons between 1997 and 2002 and were followed for 63 +/- 24 months to an end point of death or December 31, 2006.