title: Low Prevalance of Major Events Adverse to Exercise Stress Echocardiography.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stress echocardiography is well validated for diagnosis and risk stratification of coronary artery disease. Exercise stress echocardiography (ESE) has been shown to be the most physiological among the modalities of stress, but its safety is not well established.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the complications related to ESE and clinical and echocardiographic variables most commonly associated with their occurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study consisting of 10250 patients submitted to ESE for convenience, from January 2000 to June 2014. Cardiac Arrhythmias (CA) were the most frequent complications observed during the examination. The volunteers were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of CA during ESE: G1 group, composed of patients who have CA, and G2 formed by individuals who did not show such complication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Group G1, consisting of 2843 patients (27.7%), and Group G2 consisting of 7407 patients (72.3%). There was no death, acute myocardial infarction, ventricular fibrillation or asystole. Predominant CAs were: supraventricular extrasystoles (13.7%), and ventricular extrasystoles (11.5%). G1 group had a higher mean age, higher frequency of hypertension and smoking, larger aortic roots and left atrium (LA) and lower ejection fraction than G2. G1 group also had more ischemic changes (p < 0.001). The predictor variables were age (RR 1.04; [CI] 95% from 1.038 to 1.049) and LA (RR 1.64; [CI] 95% from 1.448 to 1.872).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ESE proved to be a safe modality of stress, with non-fatal complications only. Advanced age and enlargement of the left atrium are predictive of cardiac arrhythmias.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Stephanie Macedo
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Caio José Coutinho Leal
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Telino
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Antônio Carlos Sobral
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Enaldo Vieira de
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla Carolina Cardoso
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Clarissa Karine Cardoso
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Teixeira
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jaquiele Santos
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Santana
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Igor Larchert
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Mota
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos José Oliveira de
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Joselina Luzia Menezes
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Oliveira
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D025401:Echocardiography, Stress / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061214:Patient Safety; D018570:Risk Assessment