Has anyone had a family member die from a heart attack during a dobutamine stress test?

Question

My father died in 2005 during a doubutamine stress test. It's an non-invasive test used to eval CAD (coronary artery disease) for people who can't exercise on a treadmill. There is only a 1% chance of the test actually causing a heart attack that results in death. I just want to know if someone else has had this experience?

Answer 1

I used to assist with the stress tests at a hospital that I worked and I have never seen that happen. That is very rare, but I'm sure it makes it no less bearable for you. I'm sorry for your loss.

Answer 2

Chemical Stress Test Risks

Answer 3

I never had dobutamine, but I was given a persantine stress test on my heart , shortly following a massive MI ( can you believe?)

I felt pain & constriction in my chest the likes of which I never dreamed . I prayed God to spare my life from this dreadful chemical. I felt I would die from the angina & pain in my heart. I will never undergo cardiac stress testing agin, so help me God.
The memory of persantine terrified me to this minute & this hour.
I feel that your dad or anyone can easily die from these stress-provokin chemicals. May God receive his soul into bliss.

Believe me, I came close to death that morning. I remember.

Answer 4

No.Was your farther a man who loved to exercise.If u a person just sit around and all over sudden u wanna exercise.It is going to cause a strain on the heart. Cause he's running,Lord knows how fast he was going,but.Walking is better.That what probably bought on his heart attack.Some people don't know. exercise really its not good for u.Walking,"yeah".I hope I answer your question. Sorry what happened.

Answer 5

Risks

Absolute contraindications to cardiac stress testing include acute myocardial infarction [MI] (heart attack) within 48 hrs, unstable angina not yet stabilized with medical therapy, uncontrolled arrhythmia which may have significant hemodynamic responses (for example ventricular tachycardia), symptomatic severe aortic stenosis, aortic dissection, pulmonary embolism, pericarditis.

Major side effects from cardiac stress testing can include palpitation, chest pain, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, or fatigue. Adenosine and dipyridamole can cause mild drug-induced hypotension. However, hypotension caused by exercise stress testing or dobutamine is almost always abnormal and concerning for severe coronary disease.

Stress tests using radiological agents confer a definite (albeit low) long term risk of cancer, but patients undergoing such examinations often receive little or inaccurate information about these risks. For comparison, the annual background radiation per annum a person receives is approximately 3 mSv. A chest xray is approximately 0.1 mSv. A coronary angiogram (cardiac catheterization) has an effective dose of 3-20 mSv (depending on operator skill, type of intervention, etc). A routine chest helical MDCT is around 5-7 mSv. A cardiac CT (with retrospective EKG gating) is around 8-13 mSv (Morin). A sestamibi scan is approximately 12 mSv. A thallium scan is approximately 25 mSv. A thallium scan corresponds the dose of 250 chest x rays, or an extra cancer risk of about 1 in 16000 exposed patients (A. de González). The lifetime risk of fatal cancer development is 4%/Sv or 0.004%/mSv or about 0.1% for a thallium scan. Therefore, frequent usage of these tests has to balance the benefits against the risks of radiation.

Another major risk of stress testing, whether by exercise or pharmacological agents, is the possibility of inducing an MI, especially in patients with severe multi-vessel coronary artery disease. This risk, however, is substantially lower than the risk (about 1%) of major complications (such as inducing a heart attack, stroke, peripheral artery clot and embolism) from cardiac catheterization.

The choice of pharmacologic stress agent to be used (dobutamine, adenosine, dipyridamole) depends on factors such as concurrent medications and diseases. Dobutamine is usually used when a patient has asthma or severe COPD, takes the medication theophylline or has ingested coffee or chocolate (anything with caffeine), or has 2nd or 3rd degree AV block (a type of heart block). Adenosine or dipyridamole is generally used when a patient has poorly controlled hypertension, glaucoma, or has left bundle branch block (LBBB, another type of heart block). It is well known that patients with LBBB can have false positive septal ischemia if dobutamine is used as a pharmacologic agent in nuclear stress test. The adverse effects associated with the use of pharmacologic stress test agents can be reversed upon completion of the test. For drugs that promote adenosine (including dipyrimadole or adenosine itself), adenosine antagonists that constrict blood vessels such as theophylline or caffeine can be given. The adverse effects of beta-agonists like dobutamine can be reversed with the administration of a beta-blocking agent such as propranolol.

Conclusion Most physicians support the population-wide reduction of risk factors which cause heart attack. These risk factors are contained in the well-known cardiac Framingham Risk Score. Physicians typically take a history; perform a physical and then obtain baseline bloodwork and a resting EKG. Stress testing is the established method of investigating moderate-risk patients for coronary artery disease as well as obtaining prognostic information for the patient.

Answer 6

Lost a parent or did the test ?

I did the test but survived