Evidence on harms was limited , but direct harms seemed minimal ( for resting ECG ) or small ( for exercise ECG ) .
BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in adults .
Screening for abnormalities by using resting or exercise electrocardiography ( ECG ) might help identify persons who would benefit from interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk .
PURPOSE To up date the 2004 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force evidence review on screening for  resting or exercise ECG abnormalities in asymptomatic adults .
Usefulness of ventricular premature complexes to predict coronary heart disease events and mortality (from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities cohort).
The clinical relevance of ventricular premature complexes ( VPCs ) in apparently healthy patients is not clear and is typically not considered when evaluating risk . We conducted a prospect i ve longitudinal study of the population -based Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities ( ARIC ) study of 15,070 Caucasians and African-Americans , 45 to 64 years of age , to assess the risks of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) events and mortality associated with  VPCs among participants with and without prevalent CHD at baseline .  VPCs  on a single 2-minute electrocardiogram  were identified in 940 participants ( 6.2 % ) . After a follow-up of > 10 years , 1,762 participants died , with 366 deaths related to CHD , and 1,736 had cardiac events . The percentage of participants with CHD mortality was > 3 times greater for those with VPCs compared with those without VPCs . After controlling for cardiovascular risk factors and therapy with proportional hazards regression , participants with VPCs were > 2 times as likely to die due to CHD than were those without VPCs . Increased risk was found for participants with and without baseline CHD . In conclusion , a clinical finding of VPCs on electrocardiography of even apparently healthy patients may warrant a heightened awareness of and attention to cardiovascular risk assessment and management
Evidence on harms was limited , but direct harms seemed minimal ( for resting ECG ) or small ( for exercise ECG ) .
BACKGROUND Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in adults .
Screening for abnormalities by using resting or exercise electrocardiography ( ECG ) might help identify persons who would benefit from interventions to reduce cardiovascular risk .
PURPOSE To up date the 2004 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force evidence review on screening for  resting or exercise ECG abnormalities in asymptomatic adults .