Contribution of stress test to the treatment of ischemic heart disease

Stress test is a useful diagnostic tool in patients with suspected angina pectoris with low sensitivity but high specificity. It is also very useful in the evaluation of the risk, of the effectiveness of treatment and it is a useful guidance on medical prescriptions after controlling the symptoms of ischemia. This study aims to analyze the contribution of stress test to the treatment of ischemic heart disease in the Department of Cardiology at the University Hospital CHU YO. We conducted a retrospective study of 60 patients who had undergone stress test from January 2012 to December 2013. Stress test was performed using a treadmill according to the modified Bruce protocol. Sixty patients underwent stress test during the study period. The average age of patients was 49 +/- 10.8 years. Sex-ratio was 1.2. All patients underwent treadmill stress test. Twenty-two patients had a history of coronary artery disease. Estimating presence of coronary artery disease was the indication for stress test in 83% of cases. It was detected in 78% of cases. Stress test was stopped when maximal workload was reached in 46 cases (or 77%). Mean exercise duration was 11,7 mn +/- 3,2. Ten percent of patients had a positive stress test and 10% a dubious test. Our study will also contribute to transfer knowledge on this diagnostic test which is still little prescribed in our environment and even among cardiologists. However, efforts should be made in order to improve the quality of stress test practice in the management of coronary artery disease in a context of countries with limited resources.