Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

IMPORTANCE: Recent European guidance supports a diminished role for exercise electrocardiography (ECG) in the assessment of suspected stable angina. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of exercise ECG in contemporary practice and assess the value of combined functional and anatomical testing. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This is a post hoc analysis of the Scottish Computed Tomography of the Heart (SCOT-HEART) open-label randomized clinical trial, conducted in 12 cardiology chest pain clinics across Scotland for patients with suspected angina secondary to coronary heart disease. Between November 18, 2010, and September 24, 2014, 4146 patients aged 18 to 75 years with stable angina underwent clinical evaluation and 1417 of 1651 (86%) underwent exercise ECG prior to randomization. Statistical analysis was conducted from October 10 to November 5, 2019. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive standard care plus coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography or to receive standard care alone. The present analysis was limited to the 3283 patients who underwent exercise ECG alone or in combination with coronary CT angiography. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary clinical end point was death from coronary heart disease or nonfatal myocardial infarction at 5 years. RESULTS: Among the 3283 patients (1889 men; median age, 57.0 years [interquartile range, 50.0-64.0 years]), exercise ECG had a sensitivity of 39% and a specificity of 91% for detecting any obstructive coronary artery disease in those who underwent subsequent invasive angiography. Abnormal results of exercise ECG were associated with a 14.47-fold (95% CI, 10.00-20.41; P 

Original publication

DOI

10.1001/jamacardio.2020.1567

Type

Journal article

Journal

Jama cardiol

Publication Date

01/08/2020

Volume

5

Pages

920 - 928

Keywords

Angina, Stable, Computed Tomography Angiography, Coronary Angiography, Coronary Disease, Electrocardiography, Exercise Test, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Myocardial Infarction, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, Risk Assessment, Scotland