Using Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) to Select Optimal Cardiac Stress Tests

Cardiac stress testing with functional nuclear imaging is an invaluable technique in the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of patients with known or suspected ischemic heart disease. Selection of the appropriate type of nuclear stress test: exercise stress Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (MPI) versus pharmacologic stress MPI is crucial for not only diagnostic accuracy and prognostic evaluation, but also for sound clinical decisions and resource utilization.

The Duke Activity Status Index (DASI) is a 12-item questionnaire that utilized self-reported physical work capacity to estimate peak metabolic equivalents (METs) and has been shown to be a valid measurement of functional capacity. The investigators hypothesized that the DASI may be the screening tool that evaluates functional capacity and guides selection of the optimal stress MPI study.