Does gastroscopy induce myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary heart disease?
GROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Gastroscopy has been reported to be dangerous for unstable patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). The aims of this study were to find out whether endoscopy is equally liable to cause myocardial ischemia in stable CHD patients, and whether this can be predicted prior to endoscopy, and to find out the frequency of abnormal findings in patients for whom a secondary prophylaxis with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) is indicated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Electrocardiograph recording using a Holter monitor was performed during gastroscopy in 71 patients with stable CHD, to check for silent ischemia. To predict potential ischemia during gastroscopy, the Holter monitoring ECG was applied prior to a treadmill test, and withdrawn after gastroscopy 16-22 hours later. RESULTS: During gastroscopy, 30 patients (42%) had silent ischemia, but only 1 patient (1%) became symptomatic. Ischemia was dependent on heart-rate (median heart rate with ischemia 124 beats/min, without 104 beats
