RESUMO
The study was designed to assess the influences of antiarrhythmic therapy on exercise tolerance in patients with coronary artery disease and ventricular arrhythmias. Subjects for this study were subdivided into 3 groups: group I - 46 patients treated with amiodarone 1,200 mg daily during 10 days and 200-600 mg daily within next days, group II - 79 patients receiving disopyramide 300-600 mg daily, group III - 129 patients with combined administration of disopyramide 300-600 mg daily and propranolol 30-240 mg daily. propranolol 30-240 mg daily. Submaximal exercise stress testing was performed in each patient before treatment and after the medication for 4 weeks (group I) and for 2 weeks (groups II, III). The following parameters have been evaluated: maximal archived workload, maximal heart rate blood pressure response, double product (maximal heart rate x maximal systolic blood pressure), reasons for ending the test (target heart rate, typical angina, exhaustion, ST-segment depression greater than or equal to 2 mm, occurrence of ventricular arrhythmia, blood pressure greater than 250/120 mm Hg, significant drop in systolic pressure). Positive result of exercise ECG was defined: horizontal or down-sloping ST-segment depression greater than or equal to 1 mm and/or typical chest pain. The data from the first and second tests were estimated for significance of differences between the mean values with following results: 1) maximal achieved workload, 86 +/- 46 and 103 +/- 49 W (p less than 0.02) in group I; 101 +/- 64 and 106 +/- 50 W (NS) in group II; 107 +/- 55 and 119 +/- 54 W, W (p less than 0.01) in group III.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
