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Heart Disease  (Expert Forum)
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False Positives
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.

False Positives

by nmum, Aug 10, 1999 12:00AM
I understand women could easily have false positives with exercise test. Is it possible to have false negatives with ischemia present.
How much of blockage (% block) should be present, before ischemia becomes noticeable, which I guess would be mild ischemia.  

Thanks.

by CCF CARDIO MD JMF, Aug 11, 1999 12:00AM
Dear Sumi,

No test that we have is perfect.  All tests may provide false negatives and false positives.  In general, an exercise test will predict with about 90% accuracy if positive and an 80% accuracy if negative.  

Much depends on the likelihood of CAD your physician thinks you had going into a test.

I hope this has been useful. I wish you the best of luck. Feel free to write back.

     Information provided here is for general purposes only. Specific questions should be addressed to your own
     doctor. If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call
     1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart
     Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to
     address your cardiac problem.
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