Patricia A. Pellikka, MD

We assessed how well dobutamine stress echocardiography predicted morbidity and mortality in 2349 patients with diabetes mellitus over a follow-up period of 13.2 years. Results showed that age, failure to achieve the target heart rate, and the percentage of ischemic segments were independent predictors of both mortality and cardiovascular morbidity. Using clinical and stress echocardiographic parameters, a simple model for risk stratification was developed.