Stress cardiac magnetic resonance in an outpatient setting: a four year experience in > 1000 patients

Methods We reviewed the data of all patients who were referred for stress CMR (1.5 Tesla) from February 2006 to February 2010 to the Centre de Diagnostic Radiologique de Carouge, an outpatient imaging center. Standard protocol consisted of: 1) assessment of myocardial function at rest; 2) pharmacological stress induced either by dobutamine (protocol of 10, 20, 30, 40 μg/kg/min during 3 minutes with atropine if necessary) until achieving submaximal heart rate ([220-age] x 0.85), or by adenosine (protocol of 140 μg/kg/minute during 3 minutes followed by a bolus of 10 ml of gadolinium at 4 ml/second “first pass”); 3) assessment of myocardial scar and/or viability by delayed enhancement (DE) sequences.