Computerized exercise ECG testing and measurement for optimizing the prediction of coronary artery disease

A series of studies has been undertaken to evaluate computer processing of the exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) for predicting the presence and severity of angiographic coronary artery disease (CAD). Over 400 patients at the Long Beach VA Medical Center have undergone both exercise treadmill testing and cardiac catheterization with exercise ECG being stored on optical disks. Preliminary analyses have focused on visual-versus-computer measures, the contribution of traditional ST measures, and proposed exercise ECG scores. A summary of key findings is reported. Both discriminant function analyses and receiver operating characteristic curves have been used to make comparisons. The strongest predictors of CAD have been found to be ST changes during recovery