Comparison of exercise echocardiography to exercise electrocardiographic testing added to echocardiography at rest for risk stratification after uncomplicated acute myocardial infarction

Recommendations for risk assessment after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) include electrocardiographic (ECG) exercise testing. We hypothesized that a more sensitive technique, exercise echocardiography (EE), would refer a greater number of patients to invasive procedures. Therefore, we compared a strategy based on EE with a strategy based on ECG exercise testing for patients with uncomplicated AMI. A series of 164 patients referred for exercise testing after AMI were randomized to treadmill EE (strategy 2) or baseline echocardiography and ECG treadmill exercise testing (strategy 1). Ischemic response was more frequently detected with strategy 2 (59% vs 27%, p <0.001), and consequently angiography and revascularization procedures were more commonly performed (59 vs 32 procedures, p <0.01 and 46 vs 19 procedures, p <0.001, respectively). Fourteen percent and 15% of patients experienced soft events (unstable angina, heart failure, or late revascularization) after strategy 1 and strategy 2, respectively (p = NS); 6% and 9% of patients had hard events (nonfatal AMI or cardiovascular death) at follow-up (p = NS). In conclusion, a strategy based on EE detected more patients with ischemia; therefore, more patients were submitted to coronary angiography and revascularization procedures. No differences were detected in cardiac events when we compared this strategy with the less expensive ECG exercise testing after uncomplicated AMI.