Exercise stress testing in the patient with coronary artery disease. Part II.

Cardiac exercise stress testing has both diagnostic and prognostic implications. ECG changes, hemodynamic responses, and symptoms during exercise are clues to the functional capacity, severity of coronary artery disease, and probability of future coronary events. The time and workload required for a positive response to exercise and the length of time the ECG changes persist during recovery are indicators of the degree of coronary disease and are useful in predicting future coronary events.