Safety and accuracy of dobutamine-atropine stress echocardiography for the detection of residual stenosis of the infarct-related artery and multivessel disease during the first week after acute myocardial infarction

The safety of dobutamine-atropine echocardiography early after acute myocardial infarction is unknown. Its accuracy for the early detection of infarct artery stenosis and multivessel coronary artery disease is also unclear. The objective of the present study was to document its safety and accuracy during the first week after acute myocardial infarction. Multistage dobutamine-atropine stress echocardiography was performed in 232 patients (age, 58 +/- 13 years; 58 women) at 5 +/- 2 days after acute myocardial infarction. The peak heart rate was 116 +/- 20 bpm. There were no episodes of sustained ventricular tachycardia, myocardial infarction, or death. Atropine with dobutamine was tolerated well. Coronary angiography was performed in 206 patients (89%). There were 171 patients (83%) with infarct artery stenosis of > or = 50% and 114 patients (55%) with multivessel disease. Ischemic or biphasic responses in the infarction zone were 82% (140 of 171) sensitive and 80% (28 of 35) specific for residual stenosis. Sensitivity was similar for occluded arteries (77%, 36 of 47) and patent but stenotic arteries (84%, 104 of 124). Wall motion abnormalities outside the infarction zone were specific (97%, 89 of 92) and moderately sensitive (68%, 77 of 114) for multivessel disease. The only determinant of sensitivity for residual infarct artery stenosis was improved wall motion at low dose (P < .01). The determinants of sensitivity for multivessel disease were peak heart rate and infarct size (P < .01). Dobutamine-atropine stress echocardiography was safely used to detect residual infarct artery stenosis and multivessel disease during the first week after acute myocardial infarction. The test may be very effective for evaluating patients with acute myocardial infarction because sensitivity for residual stenosis and multivessel disease was maximal in the high-risk subsets of patients with viable, jeopardized myocardium and large infarct size.