Nota: Estes posicionamentos se prestam a informar e não a substituir o julgamento clínico do médico que, em última análise, deve determinar o tratamento apropriado para seus pacientes.

Myocardial ischemia may occur during an exercise session in cardiac rehabilitation programs. However, it has not been established whether it is elicited when exercise prescription is based on heart rate corresponding to the anaerobic threshold as measured by cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Our objective was to determine the incidence of myocardial ischemia in cardiac rehabilitation programs according to myocardial perfusion SPECT in exercise programs based on the anaerobic threshold. Thirty-nine patients (35 men and 4 women) diagnosed with coronary artery disease by coronary angiography and stress technetium-99m-sestamibi gated SPECT associated with a baseline cardiopulmonary exercise test were assessed. Ages ranged from 45 to 75 years. A second cardiopulmonary exercise test determined training intensity at the anaerobic threshold. Repeat gated-SPECT was obtained after a third cardiopulmonary exercise test at the prescribed workload and heart rate. Myocardial perfusion images were analyzed using a score system of 6.4 at rest, 13.9 at peak stress, and 10.7 during the prescribed exercise (P < 0.05). The presence of myocardial ischemia during exercise was defined as a difference ≥2 between the summed stress score and summed rest score. Accordingly, 25 (64%) patients were classified as ischemic and 14 (36%) as nonischemic. MIBI-SPECT showed myocardial ischemia during exercise within the anaerobic threshold. The 64% prevalence of ischemia observed in the study should not be looked on as representative of the whole population of patients undergoing exercise programs. Changes in patient care and exercise programs were implemented as a result of our finding of ischemia during the prescribed exercise.

SummaryBackground: It is advisable that the intensity of the exercises for rehabilitation of patients with coronary artery disease does not cause myocardial ischemia.

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Background: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing is widely used in the evaluation of patients with left ventricular dysfunction, and some of these patients have an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD). However, this test presents specific challenges because of the susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias during maximal levels of exercise. Objective: To evaluate the safety of cardiopulmonary exercise testing in patients with ICD. Methods: The study included patients with ICD who underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing between 2007 and 2015. The tests were completed once the electronic devices were programmed. The maximum allowed heart rate reached during exercise was 10 beats below the first therapy zone programmed. Results: The study included 69 patients with mean age 53.7 ± 10.8 years, including 68% men. Exercise time was 8.7±2.3 minutes, with peak oxygen consumption of 13.3 ± 4.3 ml.kg-1 .min-1. Peak heart rate was 62.9 ± 13.4% of the maximum rate predicted, with all patients taking specific medication. Ventricular arrhythmia was observed in 29% of the patients, and paired ventricular extrasystoles, ventricular bigeminism or non-sustained ventricular tachycardia were observed in only 14.5% of the patients. There was no sustained ventricular arrhythmia resulting in ICD therapy or other complications, such as inappropriate therapies. The frequency of severe events was 0%, 95% CI (0-5.2%). Conclusion: In the sample of patients evaluated, the cardiopulmonary exercise testing was shown to be safe during its performance in a hospital setting, following the safety standards.

Nota: Estes posicionamentos se prestam a informar e não a substituir o julgamento clínico do médico que, em última análise, deve determinar o tratamento apropriado para seus pacientes.

The stress test consists in a procedure where an individual undergoes programmed physical exercise in order for the physician to assess clinical, hemodynamic, and electrocardiographic responses. 1 The exercise can be performed using a treadmill or a stationary cycle ergometer, and many protocols are available according to the test objective, being adaptable to patient conditions.Even though it was created more than 5 decades ago, the Bruce protocol is still the most widely used in the world's main laboratories. 2 Its increments are performed every 3 minutes, but an increase of around 3 metabolic equivalents of task (MET) at each stage may hinder the adaptation of sedentary individuals and those who have heart diseases and physical limitations, leading to the early interruption of the test.Technological advances allowed the creation of new protocols with smoother speed and incline increments, the so-called ramp tests. 3 The first report of the ramp protocol is from the 1980s using a stationary cycle ergometer and, in the following decade, with a treadmill. 4,5 The main advantage of the ramp protocol, with smoother and more linear increments when

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