Prognostic value of predischarge dobutamine stress echocardiography in chest pain patients with a negative cardiac troponin T.

Objectives: We prospectively studied the prognostic value of predischarge dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) in low-risk chest pain patients with a normal or nondiagnostic electrocardiogram (ECG) and a negative serial troponin T.

Background: Noninvasive stress testing is recommended before discharge or within 72 h in patients with low-risk chest pain. The prognostic value of immediate DSE has not been studied in a blinded, prospective fashion.

Methods: Patients presenting at the emergency room within 6 h of symptom onset and a normal or nondiagnostic ECG were eligible. Dobutamine stress echocardiography was performed after unstable coronary artery disease was ruled out by a standard rule-out protocol and a negative serial troponin T; the occurrence of any new wall motion abnormality was considered positive. Results were kept blinded. End points were cardiac death, myocardial infarction, rehospitalization for unstable angina or revascularization.

Results: In total, 377 patients were included. There were 2 deaths, 2 myocardial infarctions, 8 rehospitalization for unstable angina, and 10 revascularizations at six-month follow-up. The end points occurred in 8/26 (30.8%) patients with a positive versus 14/351 (4.0%) patients with a negative DSE (odds ratio, 10.7; 95% confidence interval, 4.0 to 28.8; p < 0.0001). By multivariate analysis, DSE remained a predictor of end points (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: A predischarge DSE had important, independent prognostic value in low-risk, troponin negative, chest pain patients.