title: [Stress echocardiography in the study of the warm-up phenomenon].
abstract: To date, the "warm-up" phenomenon in patients has been evaluated by ECG and symptom analysis. We investigated the warm-up phenomenon with supine bicycle stress echocardiography in patients with coronary artery disease documented by angiography and positive stress echocardiography. Sixteen coronary artery disease patients (54 +/- 9 years), who were off treatment throughout the study, were enrolled. Each of them underwent two consecutive exercise tests (25 W/2 min) with a 10-min recovery to reestablish baseline conditions. At the end of each stage of exercise and at peak exercise, when wall motion abnormalities (WMA), 1 mm ST depression and angina occurred, and at each minute, for the first 6 min of recovery, a 12-lead ECG was recorded and rate-pressure product was calculated. Time of onset and duration of 1 mm ST depression, WMA and angina, were also determined. Peak WMA, peak wall motion score index, duration of exercise and severity of angina were also evaluated. Exercise time duration and peak rate-pressure product were greater during the second than the first test (p = 0.02, p = 0.03 respectively); the second test also showed a longer delay of the onset of 1 mm ST depression and WMA (p = 0.01, p = 0.01 respectively) and higher rate--pressure product values (p = 0.04, p = 0.03 respectively). On the contrary, wall motion score index during the first and the second test was similar. Time to angina onset was longer during the second test (p = 0.03); the recovery period of ST depression and WMA was shorter during the second test (p = 0.02). In conclusion, these preliminary data show that patients tolerated the second period of ischemia better than the first, consistent with the presence of the warm-up phenomenon. However, the similarity of values of wall motion score index and WMA did not support a reduction in the ischemic area during the second test. This is in contrast with a possible modification of myocardial metabolism which typically underlies the ischemic preconditioning.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Cardiovascolari e Respiratorie, Università degli Studi La Sapienza, Roma.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dagianti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Varveri
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sgorbini
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Penco
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fedele
mesh_terms: D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000503:physiopathology; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004452:Echocardiography; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019157:Ischemic Preconditioning, Myocardial; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*