title: Dipyridamole echocardiographic test performed 3 days after an acute myocardial infarction: feasibility, tolerability, safety and in-hospital prognostic value.
abstract: In recent years, increasing evidence has pointed to the potential of dipyridamole stress echocardiography as a fast, effective, inexpensive method of risk stratification after an acute myocardial infarction. A very early stratification by this test could improve the patient's management and reduce the duration of in-hospital stay, and, thus, the costs. Two-hundred and fifty-one consecutive patients (208 male, age 58 +/- 11) with a two-dimensional echocardiogram of good technical quality underwent a dipyridamole echocardiographic test (DET) 70 +/- 6 h after an acute myocardial infarction. Criterion for positivity was the identification of a transient regional asynergy that was absent or of a lower degree in the baseline examination. Positivity was defined as 'at low-dose' or 'at high-dose' if the asynergy was detected before or after the 8th min of a drug infusion. All tests were performed without any major side effects. DET was positive in 149 (59%) and negative in 102 (41%) patients. During the hospital stay, cardiac events (death, reinfarction, angina) occurred in 52/251 patients: in 49/149 with a positive and in 3/102 with a negative test (sensitivity 94%, negative predictive value 97%, P < 0.00001). Severe events (death and reinfarction) occurred in 14/251: in 12/149 with a positive DET and in 2/102 with a negative DET (sensitivity 86%; negative predictive value: 98%; P < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Division, Ente Ospedaliero Ospedali Galliera, Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chiarella
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Domenicucci
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bellotti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bellone
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Scarsi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vecchio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D004176:Dipyridamole; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004176:Dipyridamole