 | Target patient group: Stage C severe aortic regurgitation
|
| Indication: Exercise stress testing can be used to assess
symptomatic status and functional capacity in patients with AR. Such
testing is helpful in confirming patients’ reports that they have no
symptoms with daily life activities and in assessing objective exercise
capacity and symptom status in those with equivocal symptoms. |
| Contraindication: General contraindications for exercise stress
testing. |
| Evidence: None given in the 2014 ACC/AHA guidelines |
| Brief overview: Only stage C patients (severe asymptomatic or
vaguely symptomatic patients with severe aortic regurgitation) should be
considered for exercise stress testing for aortic regurgitation per se. |
| Monitoring: Supervision by physician or physician assistant as
per protocol for other stress tests. |
| When to stop exercise (Positive exercise echo end-points in
aortic regurgitation):
 | Symptoms: Exercise-induced angina; excessive dyspnea early in
exercise |
| AR specific echo parameters: Data on prognostic value of
exercise-induced AI parameters are equivocal; no specific recommendation
given in 2014 ACC/AHA guidelines.
|
|
| Interpretation: A patient with a positive stress echo using
above criteria becomes a stage D patient and should be considered for AV
replacement. |
