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Prognostic value of atrial pacing and thallium-201 scintigraphy in patients with stable chest pain

Journal Article · · American Journal of Cardiology; (USA)
; ; ;  [1]
  1. St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center, MO (USA)
The value of atrial pacing and thallium-201 scintigraphy for assessing risk of subsequent cardiac events was examined in 210 patients with stable chest pain. Follow-up information was complete in 195 patients (mean age 61 years). Over an average follow-up of 19 months, cardiac events occurred in 38 patients--unstable angina in 20, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction in 6 and death from cardiac causes in 12. A history of previous myocardial infarction, diabetes mellitus, systemic hypertension or peripheral vascular disease at the time of pacing was not associated with an increased frequency of subsequent cardiac events. Six of 38 patients with later cardiac events had a history of congestive heart failure, compared with 8 of 157 without cardiac events (p less than 0.05). Neither pacing-induced angina, ST depression, nor the presence of a fixed perfusion defect was significantly more frequent in patients with cardiac events as a whole compared with patients without such events. Reversible defects and abnormal scans (reversible or fixed defects) were present, respectively, in 19 and 31 of 38 patients with cardiac events, compared with 42 and 79 patients, respectively, of the 157 patients without cardiac events (both p less than 0.01). In patients who developed unstable angina, a reversible defect was seen in 13 and an abnormal scan in 16 (both p less than 0.01 compared with patients without cardiac events). In 12 patients who died from a primary cardiac event, fixed defects were present in 8 and an abnormal scan in 11 (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.01, respectively, compared with patients without cardiac events).
OSTI ID:
5101211
Journal Information:
American Journal of Cardiology; (USA), Journal Name: American Journal of Cardiology; (USA) Vol. 64:16; ISSN 0002-9149; ISSN AJCDA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English