Screening asymptomatic adults for coronary heart disease with resting or exercise electrocardiography

Article Type: Reviews of effectiveness From: Clinical Governance: An International Journal, Volume 17, Issue 1

Chou, R., Arora, B., Dana, T., Fu, R., Walker, M. and Humphrey, L.,Screening asymptomatic adults for coronary heart disease with resting or exercise electrocardiography: systematic review to update the 2004 US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation,Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Evidence Synthesis,Rockville, MD,2011,Vol. 88

This generally well-conducted review concluded that abnormalities on resting or exercise electrocardiography were associated with an increased risk for subsequent cardiovascular events after adjustment for traditional risk factors,but the clinical implications of these findings were unclear. The authors’cautious conclusions seem appropriate, although evidence may have been missed for the key questions where no studies were identified.