title: The value of predischarge exercise ECG testing in chest pain patients in the era of high-sensitivity troponins.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to examine the value of predischarge exercise electrocardiogram (ECG) testing of chest pain patients in whom acute myocardial infarction (MI) had been ruled out by means of high-sensitivity troponins, ECG and history.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients hospitalised for chest pain who underwent exercise ECG testing before discharge from the Department of Cardiology, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden from January 2011 to June 2012 were included. Endpoints were death, MI and post-discharge revascularisation within 90 and 365 days, respectively. The background one-year risk of death and MI for a corresponding age, gender and calendar time-matched Swedish population was also examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 951 patients were included. In 585 patients (61.5%) the exercise ECG test was negative, in 94 (9.9%) positive and in 272 (28.6%) inconclusive. There were no significant differences regarding death or MI between patients with a positive or a negative test, neither at 90 ( n=1 (1.1%) vs. n=1 (0.2%)) nor at 365 days ( n=2 (2.1%) vs. n=4 (0.7%)) of follow-up. In total there were nine (0.9%) deaths and 10 (1.1%) MIs within 365 days. The one-year rates of death (1.3%) and MI (0.5%) in a matched Swedish population were comparable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Predischarge exercise ECG testing after rule out of MI did not predict subsequent death or MI in a population of patients hospitalised for chest pain. Furthermore, the risks of death and MI in this population were comparable to a matched Swedish population. These findings suggest that patients could be discharged without this test.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.|2 Department of Cardiology, Södersjukhuset, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ljung
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.|2 Department of Cardiology, Södersjukhuset, Sweden.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sundqvist
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.|4 Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jernberg
authors.affiliation: 5 Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden.
authors.forename: Kai M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Eggers
authors.affiliation: 6 Department of Learning, Informatics, Management and Ethics, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.|7 Public Healthcare Services Committee Administration, Stockholm County Council, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gunnar
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ljunggren
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.|2 Department of Cardiology, Södersjukhuset, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000379:methods*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014336:Troponin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014336:Troponin
keywords: Chest pain; exercise ECG test; myocardial infarction; prognosis; troponins