Comparing Lexiscan side effects to the package insert

Objectives Lexiscan is a new drug on the market that pharmacologically stresses patients. The side effects listed in the package insert indicate that a patient should normally get shortness of breath or a headache. In an effort to provide the best patient care possible a comparison was made from the package insert to what real patients in a hospital setting were experiencing.

Methods 102 MPI patients were scanned were all stressed with Lexiscan. 51 were men and 51 were women. Side effects were not gender specific. The Lexiscan protocol was followed per package insert with a stress portion lasting four minutes and recovery lasting 5-10 minutes depending upon the side effects.

Results Side effects are noted in the following table.

Conclusions For the group, the main difference was that the hospital patients experienced a headache, followed by nausea whereas with the package insert the main side effect was dyspnea, followed by headache.