TY - JOUR
T1 - Low diagnostic yield of non-invasive testing in patients with suspected coronary artery disease
T2 - results from a large unselected hospital-based sample
AU - Therming, Christina
AU - Galatius, Søren
AU - Heitmann, Merete
AU - Højberg, Søren
AU - Sørum, Charlotte
AU - Bech, Jan
AU - Husum, Dorte
AU - Dominguez, Helena
AU - Sehestedt, Thomas
AU - Hermann, Thomas
AU - Reeh, Jacob
AU - Simonsen, Lene
AU - Prescott, Eva
PY - 2018
Y1 - 2018
N2 - Aims
Stable angina is the most common presentation of heart disease and has a good prognosis. With declining coronary artery disease (CAD), rates a diagnostic approach balancing costs and benefits is a challenge, particularly in women. This study describes the real-life diagnostic workup in a large hospital to explore whether the diagnostic approach may be improved.
Methods and results
We identified 4028 patients free of CAD, referred for and assessed with non-invasive (NIT) or invasive test for stable suspected CAD in 2012–15. In both the sexes, the majority (>85%) presented with chest pain as primary symptom. Women had more non-angina (60.2 vs. 54.5%) and less typical angina (8.2 vs. 11.8%, P < 0.001). Despite a mean pretest probability of 20.9% in women and 45.1% in men (P < 0.001), only 69 (3.1%) women and 190 men (10.4%) were diagnosed with obstructive CAD. In all, 93% underwent a NIT and 80% of these were normal. Among the 1238 men and 1595 women with non-angina or dyspnoea, only 6.1% and 2.9%, respectively, had positive NIT. After multiple adjustments, women remained less likely to have positive NIT [odds ratio (OR) 0.42 95% confidence interval (95% CI 0.32–0.56)] and given a positive test also less likely to have obstructive CAD [OR 0.30 (0.17–0.52)]. The C-statistics for predicting positive NIT was 0.77 (0.72–0.82) in women and 0.77 (0.74–0.80) in men.
Conclusion
These data confirm the very low diagnostic yield of non-invasive and invasive assessment of CAD in current clinical practice, particularly in women and in patients with atypical symptoms. Data call for a more rational approach to avoid unnecessary testing.
AB - Aims
Stable angina is the most common presentation of heart disease and has a good prognosis. With declining coronary artery disease (CAD), rates a diagnostic approach balancing costs and benefits is a challenge, particularly in women. This study describes the real-life diagnostic workup in a large hospital to explore whether the diagnostic approach may be improved.
Methods and results
We identified 4028 patients free of CAD, referred for and assessed with non-invasive (NIT) or invasive test for stable suspected CAD in 2012–15. In both the sexes, the majority (>85%) presented with chest pain as primary symptom. Women had more non-angina (60.2 vs. 54.5%) and less typical angina (8.2 vs. 11.8%, P < 0.001). Despite a mean pretest probability of 20.9% in women and 45.1% in men (P < 0.001), only 69 (3.1%) women and 190 men (10.4%) were diagnosed with obstructive CAD. In all, 93% underwent a NIT and 80% of these were normal. Among the 1238 men and 1595 women with non-angina or dyspnoea, only 6.1% and 2.9%, respectively, had positive NIT. After multiple adjustments, women remained less likely to have positive NIT [odds ratio (OR) 0.42 95% confidence interval (95% CI 0.32–0.56)] and given a positive test also less likely to have obstructive CAD [OR 0.30 (0.17–0.52)]. The C-statistics for predicting positive NIT was 0.77 (0.72–0.82) in women and 0.77 (0.74–0.80) in men.
Conclusion
These data confirm the very low diagnostic yield of non-invasive and invasive assessment of CAD in current clinical practice, particularly in women and in patients with atypical symptoms. Data call for a more rational approach to avoid unnecessary testing.
U2 - 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcx048
DO - 10.1093/ehjqcco/qcx048
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 29267950
VL - 4
SP - 301
EP - 308
JO - European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes
JF - European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes
SN - 2058-5225
IS - 4
ER -