Optimising diagnostic accuracy with the exercise ECG: opportunities for women and men with stable ischaemic heart disease.
The exercise ECG is an integral part within the evaluation algorithm for diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with stable ischaemic heart disease (SIHD). There is evidence, both older and new, that the exercise ECG can be an effective and cost-efficient option for patients capable of performing at maximal levels of exercise with suitable resting ECG findings. In this review, we will highlight the major dilemmas in interpreting suspected coronary artery disease symptoms in women and identify optimal strategies for employing exercise ECG as a first-line diagnostic test in the SIHD evaluation algorithm. We will highlight current evidence as well as recent guideline statements on this subject.


BACKGROUND
NCT01471522; Pre-results.
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, Georgia , USA.
Leslee J
LJ
Shaw
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, Georgia , USA.
Joe X
JX
Xie
Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center , Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine , New York University School of Medicine, New York , NY, USA.
Lawrence M
LM
Phillips
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology , Emory University School of Medicine , Atlanta, Georgia , USA.
Abhinav
A
Goyal
Cardiovascular Clinical Research Center , Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine , New York University School of Medicine, New York , NY, USA.
Harmony R
HR
Reynolds
Department of Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute , Cedars-Sinai Medical Center , Los Angeles, California , USA.
Daniel S
DS
Berman
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston, Massachusetts , USA.
Michael H
MH
Picard
Professor of Cardiology, Cardiothoracic Sciences Centre, and Executive Director, Stanford India Biodesign Centre , School of International Biodesign (SIB), All India Institute of Medical Sciences , New Delhi , India.
Balram
B
Bhargava
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, New Zealand Heart Foundation , Waikato Hospital , Hamilton, New Zealand , USA.
Gerard
G
Devlin
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology , St Louis University School of Medicine , St Louis, Missouri , USA.
Bernard R
BR
Chaitman
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