Complications during pharmacological stress echocardiography: a video-case series.
BACKGROUND
Stress echocardiography is a cost-effective tool for the modern noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Several physical and pharmacological stresses are used in combination with echocardiographic imaging, usually exercise, dobutamine and dipyridamole. The safety of a stress is (or should be) a major determinant in the choice of testing. Although large scale single center experiences and multicenter trial information are available for both dobutamine and dipyridamole stress echo testing, complications or side effects still can occur even in the most experienced laboratories with the most skilled operators.


METHODS
We decided to present a case collection of severe complications during pharmacological stress echo testing, including a ventricular tachycardia, cardiogenic shock, transient ischemic attack, torsade de pointe, fatal ventricular fibrillation, and free wall rupture.


CONCLUSIONS
We believe that, in this field, every past complication described is a future complication avoided; what happens in your lab is more true of what you read in journals; and Good Clinical Practice is not "not having complications", but to describe the complications you had.
Varga
Albert
A
2nd Department of Medicine, University of Sciences, Szeged, Hungary. vargaa@in2nd.szote.u-szeged.hu
Kraft
Giuliano
G
Lakatos
Ferenc
F
Bigi
Riccardo
R
Paya
Rafael
R
Picano
Eugenio
E
D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000139:chemically induced*; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006341:Heart Rupture / Q000139:chemically induced*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000139:chemically induced*; D014741:Video Recording
D002316:Cardiotonic Agents