Contributions of Exercise Stress Testing in the Octogenarian Population

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Abstract

Background: The octogenarian population has substantially increased due to higher life expectancy and quality of life. In Argentina, there is scarce information on this group of patients.

Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive and comparative study was conducted comparing an octogenarian population with a non octogenarian population consisting of elderly patients between 60 and 79 years of age. Cardiovascular risk factors, pharmacological treatment, reasons for performing/requesting an exercise stress test, test findings and reasons for test termination were evaluated.

Results: A total of 161 octogenarians were included in the study (mean age 82.98 years) and 94% had at least one cardiovascular risk factor. The most common requests for exercise stress testing were to certify physical fitness or in the setting of a check-up examination. We noticed some expected differences between both populations. Octogenarians were receiving more pharmacological treatment compared with non-octogenarians. There were no significant findings or complications during the test.

Conclusion: In octogenarians, exercise stress testing constitutes a valuable tool that provides useful information without complications. Probably, the subjective nature in the evaluation of dyspnea is the reason to request exercise stress testing.