title: Stress echocardiography: safety and tolerability.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stress echocardiography is a valuable tool for the noninvasive diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. Despite its widely use in the clinical practice, safety and side effects profile have never been evaluated in Moroccans.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the safety and tolerability of the two stress echo modalities in Moroccans.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was made by 311 patients with known or suspected coronary artery disease, 203 underwent exercise echocardiography and 108 underwent dobutamine echocardiography, major and minor rhythmic complications and side effects were recorded for the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We registered 3 (2, 8%) major rhythmic events in the dobutamine group (2 sustained supraventricular tachycardia and 1 sustained ventricular tachycardia), there was no major rhythmic events in the exercise group. Minor rhythmic events were frequent (43, 5% in the dobutamine group and 19, 2% in the exercise group with a p = 0, 0001). Severe hypotension occurs in 4 (3, 7%) patients during a dobutamine stress, there was no significant drop in the blood pressure during exercise stress procedures. Non cardiac side effects were more common among patients who underwent a dobutamine stress echo (13, 9% vs. 3, 4% with p = 0,001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Exercise is safer than dobutamine stress echocardiography, complications and adverse effects with the use of dobutamine are usually minor and self-limiting.
authors: Cardiology B Department, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Secteur 16 bloc I num 8, Hay Riad, Rabat, Morocco. f.ellouali@hotmail.com.
authors: Nada
authors: N
authors: Fennich
authors: Fedoua
authors: F
authors: Ellouali
authors: Salima
authors: S
authors: Abdelali
authors: Assad
authors: A
authors: Chaara
authors: Allal
authors: A
authors: Berrada
authors: Imane
authors: I
authors: Elhajjaji
authors: Rhizlane
authors: R
authors: Cherradi
authors: Saadia
authors: S
authors: Abir
authors: Nawal
authors: N
authors: Doghmi
authors: Mohammed
authors: M
authors: Cherti
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004280:Dobutamine; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco / Q000453:epidemiology; D011379:Prognosis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D014665:Vasodilator Agents
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D004280:Dobutamine
references: J Am Coll Cardiol. 1997 May;29(6):1234-40
references: 9137218
references: Am J Cardiol. 2006 Aug 15;98(4):541-3
references: 16893714
references: J Am Coll Cardiol. 1995 Jul;26(1):26-32
references: 7797760
references: Am J Cardiol. 1999 Mar 15;83(6):832-5
references: 10190394
references: Am J Cardiol. 1992 Jul 1;70(1):41-6
references: 1615868
references: Int J Cardiol. 2008 Apr 25;125(3):358-63
references: 17466395
references: Europace. 2005 Sep;7(5):433-9
references: 16087106
references: J Am Coll Cardiol. 1997 Dec;30(7):1660-8
references: 9385891
references: Int J Cardiol. 1992 Jul;36(1):95-102
references: 1428258
references: G Ital Cardiol. 1998 Feb;28(2):102-11
references: 9534049
references: Am J Cardiol. 1992 Jun 1;69(17):1484-6
references: 1590241
references: J Am Coll Cardiol. 2005 Apr 19;45(8):1235-42
references: 15837255
references: Am J Cardiol. 2005 Nov 1;96(9):1293-8
references: 16253601
references: Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss. 1997 Nov;90(11):1455-61
references: 9539818
references: Int J Cardiol. 1991 Oct;33(1):55-9
references: 1937984
references: J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 2005 Dec;18(12):1440-63
references: 16376782
references: Circulation. 1993 Jul;88(1):15-9
references: 8319327
references: Circulation. 2010 Apr 20;121(15):1756-67
references: 20404267
references: Am J Cardiol. 2004 Dec 1;94(11):1367-72
references: 15566905
references: J Am Soc Echocardiogr. 1999 Oct;12(10):785-91
references: 10511646