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Abstract

A method of assessing cardiac ischemia in a subject to provide a measure of cardiovascular health in that subject is described herein. The method comprises the steps of: (a) collecting a first QT- and RR-interval data set from the subject during a stage of gradually increasing heart rate (e.g., a stage of gradually increasing exercise load); (b) collecting a second QT- and RR-interval data set from the subject during a stage of gradually decreasing heart rate (e.g., a stage of gradually decreasing exercise load); (c) comparing the first QT- and RR-interval data set to the second QT- and RR-interval data set to determine the difference between the data sets; and (d) generating from the comparison of step (c) a measure of cardiac ischemia during exercise in the subject. A greater difference between the first and second data sets indicates greater cardiac ischemia and lesser cardiovascular health in the subject. The data sets are collected in such a manner that they reflect almost exclusively the conduction in the heart muscle and minimize rapid transients due to autonomic nervous system and hormonal control on the data sets.

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First Claim