Hypertensive Response During Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography: Does it Indicate a Higher Risk of Developing Hypertension?

BACKGROUND

One of the most common complications associated with dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is abnormal blood pressure (BP) responses.

AIMS AND

OBJECTIVES

The current investigation aimed to examine the blood pressure responses during DSE and its potential implications on cardiovascular outcomes.

METHODS

The study enrolled patients who lacked a history of hypertension and diabetes but demonstrated hypertensive response during DSE (n = 62). An equal number of patients who did not exhibit an increase in BP during the DSE were selected as the control group (n = 55). Throughout the 4-year clinical follow-up, we monitored the incidence of hypertension, myocardial infarction (MI), hospitalization due to heart disease, death, and stroke.

RESULTS

Among those who demonstrated a hypertensive response during DSE, baseline systolic BP (P = 0.002) and diastolic BP (P = 0.002) were notably higher compared to the nonhypertensive group. In addition, the hypertensive group received a significantly elevated dosage of dobutamine in comparison to the controls (P = 0.010). However, no statistically significant variances were observed between the two groups concerning death (P = 0.600), acute MI (P > 0.999), chronic hypertension (P = 0.063), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.513), and hospitalization (P = 0.472).

CONCLUSION

In light of our findings, hypertensive responses in patients undergoing DSE do not correlate with subsequent adverse outcomes. While our investigation did not identify a statistically significant difference in hypertension rates, it is essential to note that significance may be achieved with future research involving a larger sample size.