Prediction of mortality in patients without angina: Use of an exercise score and exercise echocardiography

Abstract

Background: Exercise testing has limited efficacy for identifying coronary artery disease (CAD) in the absence of anginal symptoms. Exercise echocardiography is more accurate than standard exercise testing, but its efficacy in this situation has not been defined. We sought to identify whether the Duke treadmill score or exercise echocardiography (ExE) could be used to identify risk in patients without anginal symptoms. Methods: We studied 1859 patients without typical or atypical angina, heart failure, or a history or ECG evidence of infarction or CAD, who were referred for ExE, of whom 1832 (age 51±15 years, 944 men) were followed for up to 10 years. The presence and extent of ischaemia and..