Detecting ventricular arrhythmia after myocardial infarction: comparison of Hoiter monitoring and treadmill exercise.

The effectiveness of Holter monitoring is compared to modified treadmill exercise for detecting ventricular arrhythmia in 54 patients during the third week after a documented myocardial infarction. Treatment with digoxin and antiarrhythmic agents had been discontinued for 48 hours. Whereas 76% of the patients had no PVCs during treadmill exercise, only 7% were free of PVCs during Holter monitoring. Complex PVCs occurred in 37% of the subjects during Holter monitoring and in 4% of the subjects during treadmill stress. Although Holter monitoring was significantly more reliable in detecting ventricular arrhythmia, assessment of exercise tolerance and angina status during modified treadmill stress makes both technics desirable in carefully selected patients awaiting discharge from the hospital after myocardial infarction.