[eenthebean]

I am am an RN with 33 years of experience. The last 20 years I have worked in nursing manangement. So---I need the expertise of some cardiac nurses.

During a routine office visit for hypertension follow up I had an irregular heart rate. Rhythm strip showed PVC's.

I was refered to a cardiologist. 24 hour Holter-normal (few PVC's)
ECHO--normal


I am now scheduled for a persantine myoview.

My question is---What are the possble dangers of a persantine myoview? Thanks in advance

[Dinith88]

Eenthebean,

Side effects during this type of stress-test are very rare. The persantine administration is to increase your heart rate and 'stress' it without the use of a treadmill. Some people describe feeling flushed, or having symptoms similar to a 'hot-flash'. If you've an underlying coronary issue, you might experience chest pain and/or an acceleration of your PVC's. The medication has a very short half-life and your heart rate will slow down quickly...once the administration is finished.

The 'myo-scan' part of the test is when they take pictures of your heart muscle (before and after being 'stressed'). It's a very accurate test and can show myocardial ischemia and/or old infarctions even when the ECG portion does not.

I suppose the greatest risk is that you'll have an allergic reaction to either the persantine or the thallium administered...
To date, i've not had or heard of a patient suffering any serious reaction, injury, or death from this common procedure.

Good Luck to you.

[mags-rn]

Originally posted by eenthebean

My question is---What are the possble dangers of a persantine myoview? Thanks in advance

As the in above reply - there is very little danger in this myoview. My understanding is that it will dilate the coronary arteries pharmacologically (instead of through physical exertion i.e. exercise). It has been approved for this use longer than any other coronary dilator and its action can be stopped with Aminophylline if need be.

Similar to the above reply, it is possible to cause bronchospasm in people with asthma or COPD. There is also a slim chance of inducing arrhythmias. For these reasons, you will be monitored throughout the test and life support equipment will be available. A small amount of radioactive material is given IV that is taken up by the myocardial cells. Basically, you just lie there on a gurney with a gamma camera focused over your chest. It takes a "picture" of the coronaries being dilated and how well they feed the myocardium(myocardial perfusion imaging). It is a useful test of the functioning of the coronaries. The radioactivity is about as
much as you would get with a chest x-ray. So even though the word "radioactive" is used, it is such a small amount that no precautions need be taken by you after the test.

There is the concern of the IV used to administer the stuff. It should be diluted to prevent phlebitis. Caffeine is not allowed as it is antagonistic to the drug and will give you a non-diagnostic test. The same with some meds so check on what you might need to avoid, including over-the-counter stuff. I too, have not heard of anything terrible happening during this test and it is considered to be safe and useful. Good Luck.
Let us know how it goes. Maybe you can give us more information on the test afterwards, teach us something