title: Likelihood of myocardial infarction during stroke rehabilitation preceded by cardiovascular screening and an exercise tolerance test: the Locomotor Experience Applied Post-Stroke (LEAPS) trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Coronary artery disease is highly prevalent in patients with stroke, but because revascularization does not improve major clinical outcomes in patients with stable coronary artery disease relative to intensive medical therapy, routine evaluation for this disease is not warranted in stroke patients. However, it might be warranted in patients destined to undergo vigorous physical therapy. The Locomotor Experience Applied Post-Stroke study, a randomized controlled trial of 408 participants that tested the relative efficacy of two rehabilitation techniques on functional walking level, provided the opportunity to address this question.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study aims to test the efficacy of screening for cardiovascular disease and an exercise tolerance test in assuring safety among patients undergoing vigorous rehabilitation for gait impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  All participants were screened for serious cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions. At six-weeks poststroke, they also completed a cardiovascular screening inventory and underwent an exercise tolerance test involving bicycle ergometry. Participants received 36, 90-min sessions of a prescribed physical therapy (three per week), initiated at either two-months or six-months poststroke.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-nine participants were excluded on the basis of the cardiac screening questionnaire, and 15 failed the exercise tolerance test for cardiovascular reasons. No participant experienced a cardiac event during a treatment session. Two participants experienced myocardial infarctions, but continued in the trial. In three additional participants, myocardial infarctions caused or contributed to death.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination of a negative cardiac screen and the absence of exercise tolerance test failure appeared to have a high negative predictive value for cardiac events during treatment, despite the likelihood of a high prevalence of coronary artery disease in our population.
authors.affiliation: Research Service, Brain Rehabilitation Research Center, Malcom Randall VA Medical Center, Gainesville, FL, USA; Department of Neurology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Nadeau
authors.forename: Dorian Kay
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dobkin
authors.forename: Samuel S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yufeng E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schofield
authors.forename: Pamela W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Duncan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017079:Exercise Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D000071939:Stroke Rehabilitation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: coronary artery disease; hemiparesis; locomotor training; myocardial infarction; rehabilitation; stroke