Cardiorespiratory responses to standing arm ergometry in patients with ischemic heart disease. Comparison with the results of treadmill exercise.

To compare cardiorespiratory responses to standing arm ergometry and treadmill exercise, two graded exercise stress tests were performed in 30 patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). Cardiac catheterization and expired gas analyses were also done. Standing arm ergometry was discontinued because of arm fatigue in 15 (50%) patients, whereas treadmill exercise was stopped due to leg fatigue in 8 (27%) patients. Maximal increase in rate-pressure product and oxygen uptake, and magnitude of ST-segment depression during standing arm ergometry were significantly smaller (p less than 0.01, p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.05, respectively) than those during treadmill exercise. Furthermore correlations of maximal change in rate-pressure product, oxygen uptake and extent of ST-segment depression were not close between the two exercise tests (r = 0.76, r = 0.67 and r = 0.54, respectively). Our results indicate that the ability to detect IHD with standing arm ergometry is lower than that with treadmill exercise and that it is not possible to predict accurately one's capacity for arm exercise from the treadmill exercise test.