Abstract 18218: Prevalence And Significance of a Right Bundle Branch Block in Patients Without Cardiovascular Disease Undergoing an Exercise Stress Test

Introduction: Right bundle branch block (RBBB) occurs in 0.2% to 1.3% of the general population and was thought to be an incidental finding; however, current conflicting studies demonstrate that the prognostic significance remains controversial likely because of the infrequence of the occurrence and the need for a large population study. Methods: We reviewed the Mayo Clinic Rochester Minnesota Integrated Stress Center database for non-imaging exercise tests performed between 1993 and 2010. Patients were selected on the basis of no known cardiovascular disease (CVD) -- defined as coronary artery disease (CAD), structural heart disease, arrythymogenic heart disease, heart failure, or cerebrovascular disease. Only Minnesota residents were included, as full mortality data were available. RBBB was confirmed by a cardiologist. The relationship between mortality and RBBB was adjusted for comorbidities and assessed using Cox Proportional Hazards Regression with statistical significance defined as P u003c 0.05. Result...