Exercise echocardiography Exercise echocardiography is performed at cardiac intensive care unit 2143. Before exercise a Swan Ganz catheter is introduced with a seldinger technique through the right jugular vein. Simultaneous with resting echocardiography pulmonary artery pressure, left atrial pressure, cardiac index and pulmonary wedge pressure is recorded. Patients are then exercised on a supine bicycle with increasing workload to 100W with increments of 25W every 2'nd min. At 100W echocardiography is repeated with simultaneous assessment of pulmonary artery pressure, left atrial pressure, pulmonary wedge pressure and cardiac index.