Evaluating Myocardial Ischemia in Chest Pain Using Exercise CMR

Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) is a condition of recurring chest pain or discomfort that occurs when a part of the heart is not receiving sufficient blood flow. It is a major public health concern internationally and in Singapore, the leading cause of death from cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has the ability to assess heart structures, scarring or lack of blood supply to the heart muscle with great accuracy and without any radiation involved. A CMR-compatible cycle ergometer can offer a safe and low cost stress equipment to assess heart function and motion abnormalities, and restrictions of the blood supply to the heart tissues due to partial or complete blockages of the blood vessels. This study aims 1. to develop an exercise-CMR stress protocol by testing its feasibility and robustness in assessing changes in cardiac volumes and function due to physical exertion in healthy individuals and 2. to assess the accuracy of the multiparametric stress-CMR as a diagnostic tool for ischemic-causing coronary artery disease (CAD) with coronary fractional flow reserve (FFR) as a reference. 3. to measure the overall economic impact of ischaemic heart disease by estimating the direct and indirect medical costs for each participant. The current sample costs will be extrapolated to estimate the annual costs of treating and managing ischaemic heart disease in the local population. 4. to evaluate the effects of coronary microvascular dysfunction on coronary flow and regulation, physiological response and cardiac sympathetic signaling in patients with chest pain.