Abstract
BACKGROUND: One of the most common complications associated with dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) is abnormal blood pressure (BP) responses. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The current investigation aimed to examine the blood pressure responses during DSE and its potential implications on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: The study enrolled patients who lacked a history of hypertension and diabetes but demonstrated hypertensive response during DSE (n = 62). An equal number of patients who did not exhibit an increase in BP during the DSE were selected as the control group (n = 55). Throughout the 4-year clinical follow-up, we monitored the incidence of hypertension, myocardial infarction (MI), hospitalization due to heart disease, death, and stroke. RESULTS: Among those who demonstrated a hypertensive response during DSE, baseline systolic BP (P = 0.002) and diastolic BP (P = 0.002) were notably higher compared to the nonhypertensive group. In addition, the hypertensive group received a significantly elevated dosage of dobutamine in comparison to the controls (P = 0.010). However, no statistically significant variances were observed between the two groups concerning death (P = 0.600), acute MI (P > 0.999), chronic hypertension (P = 0.063), diabetes mellitus (P = 0.513), and hospitalization (P = 0.472). CONCLUSION: In light of our findings, hypertensive responses in patients undergoing DSE do not correlate with subsequent adverse outcomes. While our investigation did not identify a statistically significant difference in hypertension rates, it is essential to note that significance may be achieved with future research involving a larger sample size.