Prognostic impact of stress echocardiography with discordant stress electrocardiography in patients with suspected coronary artery disease

INTRODUCTIONDuring stress echocardiography, the echocardiologist routinely collects both echocardiographic images and stress electrocardiogram (ECG) concurrently. The managing physician faces a dilemma when the stress ECG and stress echocardiography results are discordant; for example, when a patient has negative stress echocardiography but positive stress ECG. We therefore sought to evaluate the prognostic value of stress echocardiography in relation to concordant or discordant stress ECG findings in our local Singapore setting, which has a well-defined Southeast Asian population.METHODSThis was a retrospective observational study of all patients who underwent stress echocardiography in 2012 at Changi General Hospital, Singapore. All study patients were followed up for 18 months via electronic medical records.RESULTSThere was no difference in the major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) outcome of patients with normal stress echocardiography and normal stress ECG (reference group) as compared with patients with normal stress echocardiography but positive (discordant) stress ECG (odds ratio 2.02, 95% confidence interval 0.82‑4.98; p = 0.125).CONCLUSIONThis study will help to reassure cardiologists that discordant results (negative stress echocardiography but positive stress ECG) do not portend a higher risk of MACE when compared to concordant results (i.e. both stress echocardiography and stress ECG are negative).