The rate of obstructive coronary artery disease found at elective coronary angiography varied from 23-100 percent among hospitals, according to an article published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 565,504 patients undergoing elective coronary angiography who had not had myocardial infarction or revascularization.
They found that hospitals' detection rate of obstructive CAD at coronary angiography ranged from 23-100 percent. In addition, the rates were consistent from year to year.
The data showed that a lower rate of finding obstructive CAD was associated with more procedures on younger patients, patients with low Framingham risk, patients with no or atypical symptoms and patients with a negative, equivocal or underperformed functional status assessment. The CAD rate was lower at hospitals with small-volume catheterization laboratories.
Read the Journal of the American College of Cardiology abstract on hospitals' variable CAD detection rates.
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Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 565,504 patients undergoing elective coronary angiography who had not had myocardial infarction or revascularization.
They found that hospitals' detection rate of obstructive CAD at coronary angiography ranged from 23-100 percent. In addition, the rates were consistent from year to year.
The data showed that a lower rate of finding obstructive CAD was associated with more procedures on younger patients, patients with low Framingham risk, patients with no or atypical symptoms and patients with a negative, equivocal or underperformed functional status assessment. The CAD rate was lower at hospitals with small-volume catheterization laboratories.
Read the Journal of the American College of Cardiology abstract on hospitals' variable CAD detection rates.
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