title: Improvement of myocardial perfusion in coronary patients after intermittent hypobaric hypoxia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Persons living at high altitude (exposed to hypoxia) have a greater number of coronary and peripheral branches in the heart than persons living at sea level. In this study we investigated the effect of intermittent hypobaric hypoxia on myocardial perfusion in patients with coronary heart disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We studied 6 male patients (aged>or=53 years) with severe stable coronary heart disease. All patients were born at sea level and lived in that environment. They underwent 14 sessions of exposure to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia (equivalent to a simulated altitude of 4200 m). Myocardial perfusion was assessed at baseline and after treatment with hypoxia by use of exercise perfusion imaging with technetium 99m sestamibi. After the sessions of hypoxia, myocardial perfusion was significantly improved. The summed stress score for hypoperfusion, in arbitrary units, decreased from 9.5+ to 4.5+ after treatment (P=.036). There was no evidence of impairment of myocardial perfusion in any patient after treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intermittent hypobaric hypoxia improved myocardial perfusion in patients with severe coronary heart disease. Though preliminary, our results suggest that exposure to intermittent hypobaric hypoxia could be an alternative for the management of patients with chronic coronary heart disease.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Central de Aeronáutica, Peruvian Air Force, and Instituto Nacional de Biología Andina, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: del Pilar Valle
authors.forename: Félix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: García-Godos
authors.forename: Orison O
authors.initials: OO
authors.lastname: Woolcott
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Marticorena
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rodríguez
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernández-Dávila
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valdivia
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Robles
authors.forename: Emilio A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Marticorena
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006931:Hyperbaric Oxygenation / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D017256:Technetium Tc 99m Sestamibi