A recent observational cohort study compared the annualized rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients with abnormal exercise electrocardiograms (+ECG) but normal stress echocardiograms (–Echo) to patients with normal exercise ECGs (–ECG) and normal stress echocardiograms (–Echo). According to this study, which of the following statements is MOST likely true of the annualized MACE event rate in the +ECG/–Echo group compared with the –ECG/–Echo group?
Both exercise ECG and stress Echo are used in clinical practice to evaluate patients at risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). The absence of regional wall motion abnormalities with stress (negative stress Echo) portends a low risk of CAD. Conversely, a stress Echo that reveals regional wall motion abnormalities has been correlated with an increased risk of CAD. At times, patients will undergo exercise ECG before or in addition to stress Echo, and a fraction of patients will demonstrate ischemic ST segment changes...
