Contribution of radio-electrocardiography in the rehabilitation of CVA patients.
Seventy-eight patients with cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) underwent radio-electrocardiographic evaluation (RECG) and blood pressure measurements, together with clinical observation during physical therapy and rehabilitation. Twenty-six out of 78 CVA patients had pathological RECG. Of the total, 20 (25.6%) patients had a history of ischemic heart disease prior to CVA, 11 of them manifested abnormalities on the radio-electrocardiography, suggesting myocardial ischemia, arrhythmia, or severe heart rate changes. Out of 58 patients without any cardiac history or complaints before CVA, 15 (25.9%) showed pathological tracings during active therapy. In 20 patients out of 26 with pathological RECG, marked improvement was seen in repeated telemetric evaluation after drug and/or physical therapy was changed. In 42 hypertensive patients, 12 (28,5%) were found to suffer from marked elevation of the diastolic blood pressure during active physical training. Since the energy cost of ambulation in hemiplegics is much higher than in people without motor disabilities, RECG helps us in the detection of cardiac disorders, assessement of myocardial performance, and prescription of optimal physical and/or drug therapy in CVA patients.