title: [Exercise stress test: prognostic value for elderly patients with stable coronary atherosclerosis].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the prognostic value of exercise stress test variables in elderly patients with coronary atherosclerosis and exercise-induced ischemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-four elderly patients (61 men, 73 +/- 5 years old) with coronary atherosclerosis, verified by cardiac catheterization, that were clinically stable, had a left ventricle ejection fraction greater than or equal to 0.40 and developed myocardial ischemia during the exercise stress test were studied. The patients were evaluated every six months for cardiac events (death, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, angioplasty and myocardial revascularization).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After a mean follow-up period of 48 months, 23 (36%) patients suffered cardiac events. There was no clinical or angiographical differences among the patients that suffered cardiac events and those that did not. Using multivariate analysis, the presence of chest pain during the exercise stress test (relative risk 2.668, p = 0.031) and the heart rate at the onset of ischemia (relative risk 0.966, p = 0.009) were associated with cardiac events.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this elderly population, the presence of chest pain during the exercise stress test and the heart rate at the onset of ischemia were associated with cardiac events. These variables could be useful for risk evaluation in patients with stable coronary atherosclerosis.
authors.affiliation: Instituto do Coração, Hospital das Clínicas, FMUSP, São Paulo, SP. mochiai@osite.com.br
authors.forename: Marcelo Eidi
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Otávio C E
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Gebara
authors.forename: João Batista
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Serro-Azul
authors.forename: Lígia B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Amit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nussbacher
authors.forename: Humberto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pierri
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wajngarten
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005080:Exercise Test; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology