Key result
Pharmacological stress echocardiography carries risk of life-threatening mechanical and arrhythmic complications.
Why the study?
Complications or side effects during pharmacological stress echocardiography can still occur even in experienced laboratories, necessitating awareness and reporting.
What are the severe complications associated with pharmacological stress echocardiography?
Case Report (n=5)
Yes
What are the severe complications associated with pharmacological stress echocardiography?
Pharmacological stress echocardiography can be associated with severe, potentially fatal complications even in experienced laboratories.
Severe complications may arise during pharmacological stress echocardiography; case reports leave open precise contemporary incidence and risk factors.
BACKGROUND: Stress echocardiography is a cost-effective tool for the modern noninvasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Several physical and pharmacological stresses are used in combination with echocardiographic imaging, usually exercise, dobutamine and dipyridamole. The safety of a stress is (or should be) a major determinant in the choice of testing. Although large scale single center experiences and multicenter trial information are available for both dobutamine and dipyridamole stress echo testing, complications or side effects still can occur even in the most experienced laboratories with the most skilled operators. CASE PRESENTATION: We decided to present a case collection of severe complications during pharmacological stress echo testing, including a ventricular tachycardia, cardiogenic shock, transient ischemic attack, torsade de pointe, fatal ventricular fibrillation, and free wall rupture. CONCLUSION: We believe that, in this field, every past complication described is a future complication avoided; what happens in your lab is more true of what you read in journals; and Good Clinical Practice is not "not having complications", but to describe the complications you had.
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Varga et al. (2005) conducted a case report in Coronary artery disease or suspected coronary artery disease (n=5). Pharmacological stress echocardiography (dipyridamole or dobutamine) was evaluated on Severe complications during pharmacological stress echocardiography. Severe complications, including ventricular tachycardia, cardiogenic shock, torsade de pointes, fatal ventricular fibrillation, and free wall rupture, can occur during pharmacological stress echocardiography.
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