From chest pain to coronary functional testing: Clinical and economic impact of coronary microvascular dysfunction.

BACKGROUND: Coronary functional testing to formally diagnose coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) reduces cardiovascular events and alleviates angina. This study aims to investigate the extensive and complex journey that patients with CMD undergo, from the onset of chest pain to eventual diagnosis. METHODS: Data from the Coronary Microvascular Disease Registry (CMDR) were analyzed, including information on the date of first documentation of chest pain, number of non-invasive and invasive tests the patient underwent, emergency department visits, and hospitalizations. In addition, we estimated the total cost per patient. A total of 61 patients with CMD diagnosis were included in this analysis. RESULTS: Most patients in our cohort were older than 50 years of age. The median time from initial chest pain symptoms to diagnosis was 0.62 (interquartile range [IQR]: 0.06-2.96) years. During this period, patients visited the emergency department a median of 1.0 (IQR: 0.0-2.0) times. Diagnostic tests included 3.0 (IQR: 2.0-6.0) electrocardiograms, 3.0 (IQR: 0.0-6.0) high-sensitivity troponin tests, and 1.0 (IQR: 1.0-2.0) echocardiograms. Prior to diagnosis of CMD, 13 (21.3 %) patients had left heart catheterization without coronary functional testing. Non-invasive testing for ischemia was conducted in 43 (70.5 %) patients. Alternative non-cardiac diagnoses were given to 11 (18.0 %) patients during the diagnostic process, with referrals made to gastroenterology for 16 (26.2 %) and pulmonology for 10 (16.4 %) patients. The cost was almost $2000/patient. CONCLUSION: Timely identification of CMD offers promising opportunities for prompt symptom alleviation, accompanied by reduced visits to the emergency department, cardiovascular testing, invasive medical procedures, and consequently reduced healthcare expenses.

The Role of Using HEART Score to Risk Stratify Chest Pain Among Emergency Department High Utilizers.

The HEART score is used to effectively risk stratify undifferentiated chest pain patients in the Emergency Department (ED). It is unclear whether such risk stratification can be applied among ED high utilizers. We aim to determine the efficacy and safety of using the HEART score to predict 30-day short-term major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in ED high utilizers. We conducted a retrospective, observational study in which ED high utilizers were defined as patients who had four or more ED visits within the past 12 months. ED high utilizers presenting at the study ED with chest pain were enrolled. Patients in which the HEART score was utilized were placed in the HEART group and patients with no HEART scores documented were placed to the usual care group. Hospital admissions and cardiac stress tests performed during the index hospitalizations, and 30-day MACE rates were analyzed and compared between the HEART and usual care groups. From January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019, a total of 8,315 patient visits from ED high utilizers were enrolled. In the HEART group, 49% of ED visits were admitted with 20% receiving stress tests. A 30-day MACE outcome occurred among 1.4% of visits. In the usual care group, 44% of ED visits were admitted, with only 9% receiving index stress tests and a 1.5% of 30-day MACE occurrence (p=0.727). The study showed that similar short-term MACE outcomes occurred between patients using HEART scores and usual care to risk stratify chest pain among ED high utilizers.

Prognostic Value of Braden Scale in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: From the Retrospective Multicenter Study for Early Evaluation of Acute Chest Pain.

BACKGROUND: The Braden Scale (BS) is a routine nursing measure used to predict pressure ulcer events; it is recommended as a frailty identification instrument. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate the predictive utility of the BS in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS: We enrolled 2285 patients with AMI from the Retrospective Multicenter Study for Early Evaluation of Acute Chest Pain. The patients were divided into 3 groups (B1, B2, and B3) according to their BS score (≤12 vs 13-14 vs ≥15). The primary endpoint was all-cause death. RESULTS: There were 264 (12.0%) all-cause deaths during the median follow-up period of 10.5 (7.9-14.2) months. In-hospital and midterm mortality and other adverse outcomes increased with decreases in the BS score. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with a lower BS score had a lower cumulative survival rate (P < .001). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that a decreased BS score was an independent predictor for all-cause mortality (B2 vs B1: hazard ratio, 0.610; 95% confidence interval, 0.440-0.846; P = .003; B3 vs B1: hazard ratio, 0.345; 95% confidence interval, 0.241-0.493; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The BS at admission may be a useful routine nursing measure to evaluate the prognosis of patients with AMI. The BS may be used to stratify risk at early stages and to identify those who may benefit from further assessment and intervention due to frailty syndrome.

Living with stable angina: patients' pathway and needs in angina.

AIMS: There is evidence that stable angina patients may suffer from emotional disorders that further impair their quality of life. However, the emotional experience of living with stable angina from the patient's perspective still has to be explored. Thus, the main aim of this study was to explore patients' emotional experience of having stable angina and their reported needs during the pathway from the first symptoms, through the process of diagnosis, to management and related lifestyle changes. METHODS: A survey was conducted in 75 chronic ischemic heart disease patients with angina (Brazil, China, Romania, Russia, and Turkey) using a 75-min, face-to-face in-depth interview. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Patients' responses highlighted the need to increase individuals' awareness on the first signs and symptoms of the disease. The survey also showed that chronic stable angina patients need constant emotional support to overcome stress, anxiety, and depression. Finally, this study suggests the need to offer greater space for dialogue with healthcare professionals to get more comprehensive and 'patient-friendly' information.

Sex disparities in the assessment and outcomes of chest pain presentations in emergency departments.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether sex differences exist in the triage, management and outcomes associated with non-traumatic chest pain presentations in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: All adults (≥18 years) with non-traumatic chest pain presentations to three EDs in Melbourne, Australia between 2009 and 2013 were retrospectively analysed. Data sources included routinely collected hospital databases. Triage scoring of the urgency of presentation, time to medical examination, cardiac troponin testing, admission to specialised care units, and in-ED and in-hospital mortality were each modelled using the generalised estimating equations approach. RESULTS: Overall 54 138 patients (48.7% women) presented with chest pain, contributing to 76 216 presentations, of which 26 282 (34.5%) were cardiac. In multivariable analyses, compared with men, women were 18% less likely to be allocated an urgency of 'immediate review' or 'within 10 min review' (OR=0.82, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.85), 16% less likely to be examined within the first hour of arrival to the ED by an emergency physician (0.84, 0.81 to 0.87), 20% less likely to have a troponin test performed (0.80, 0.77 to 0.83), 36% less likely to be admitted to a specialised care unit (0.64, 0.61 to 0.68), and 35% (p=0.039) and 36% (p=0.002) more likely to die in the ED and in the hospital, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In the ED, systemic sex bias, to the detriment of women, exists in the early management and treatment of non-traumatic chest pain. Future studies that identify the drivers explaining why women presenting with chest pain are disadvantaged in terms of care, relative to men, are warranted.

Mechanisms and diagnostic evaluation of persistent or recurrent angina following percutaneous coronary revascularization.

Persistence or recurrence of angina after a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may affect about 20-40% of patients during short-medium-term follow-up. This appears to be true even when PCI is 'optimized' using physiology-guided approaches and drug-eluting stents. Importantly, persistent or recurrent angina post-PCI is associated with a significant economic burden. Healthcare costs may be almost two-fold higher among patients with persistent or recurrent angina post-PCI vs. those who become symptom-free. However, practice guideline recommendations regarding the management of patients with angina post-PCI are unclear. Gaps in evidence into the mechanisms of post-PCI angina are relevant, and more research seems warranted. The purpose of this document is to review potential mechanisms for the persistence or recurrence of angina post-PCI, propose a practical diagnostic algorithm, and summarize current knowledge gaps.

Association between the reported intensity of an acute symptom at first prehospital assessment and the subsequent outcome: a study on patients with acute chest pain and presumed acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: To decrease the morbidity burden of cardiovascular disease and to avoid the development of potentially preventable complications, early assessment and treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are important. The aim of this study has therefore been to explore the possible association between patients' estimated intensity of chest pain when first seen by the ambulance crew in suspected ACS, and the subsequent outcome before and after arrival in hospital. METHODS: Data was collected both prospectively and retrospectively. The inclusion criteria were chest pain raising suspicion of ACS and a reported intensity of pain ≥4 on the visual analogue scale. RESULTS: All in all, 1603 patients were included in the study. Increased intensity of chest pain was related to: 1) more heart-related complications before hospital admission; 2) a higher proportion of heart failure, anxiety and chest pain after hospital admission; 3) a higher proportion of acute myocardial infarction and 4) a prolonged hospitalisation. However, there was no significant association with mortality neither in 30 days nor in three years. Adjustment for possible confounders including age, a history of smoking and heart failure showed similar results. CONCLUSION: The estimated intensity of chest pain reported by the patients on admission by the ambulance team was associated with the risk of complications prior to hospital admission, heart failure, anxiety and chest pain after hospital admission, the final diagnosis and the number of days in hospital. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov 151:2008/4564 Identifier: NCT00792181. Registred 17 November 2008 'retrospectively registered'.

Comparison of outcomes in emergency department patients with suspected cardiac chest pain: two-centre prospective observational study in Southern China.

BACKGROUND: Hong Kong (HK) and Guangzhou (GZ) are cities in China with different healthcare systems. This study aimed to compare 30-day and 6-month mortality and characteristics of patients with suspected cardiac chest pain admitted to two emergency departments (ED) in HK and GZ. METHODS: A prospective observational study enrolled patients with suspected cardiac chest pain presenting to EDs in the Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH), HK and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (AHGZMU),GZ. The primary outcome was 30-day and 6-month mortality. RESULTS: In total, 996 patients were recruited, 407 cases from GZ and 589 cases from HK.The 30-day and 6-month mortality of chest patients were 3.7% and 4.7% in GZand 0.3% and 1.9% in HK, respectively. Serum creatinine level (Cr) was an independent factor for 30-day mortality whilst Cr and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were independent factors for 6-month mortality. In Cox regression analysis, unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios for 30-day and 6-month mortality in GZ were significantly increased. CONCLUSION: The 30-day and 6-month mortality of patients with suspected cardiac chest pain in Guangzhou were higher than in Hong Kong due to due to different baseline clinical characteristics of patients and different distributions of diagnoses, which were associated with different healthcare systems. Serum creatinine and SBP were independent factors for 30-day and 6-month mortality.

Differences in utility elicitation methods in cardiovascular disease: a systematic review.

AIMS: Utility values inform estimates of the cost-effectiveness of treatment for cardiovascular disease (CVD), but values can vary depending on the method used. The aim of this systematic literature review (SLR) was to explore how methods of elicitation impact utility values for CVD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This review identified English-language articles in Embase, MEDLINE, and the gray literature published between September 1992 and August 2015 using keywords for "utilities" and "stroke", "heart failure", "myocardial infarction", or "angina". Variability in utility values based on the method of elicitation, tariff, or type of respondent was then reported. RESULTS: This review screened 4,341 citations; 290 of these articles qualified for inclusion in the SLR because they reported utility values for one or more of the cardiovascular conditions of interest listed above. Of these 290, the 41 articles that provided head-to-head comparisons of utility methods for CVD were reviewed. In this sub-set, it was found that methodological differences contributed to variation in utility values. Direct methods often yielded higher scores than did indirect methods. Within direct methods, there were no clear trends in head-to-head studies (standard gamble [SG] vs time trade-off); but general population respondents often provided lower scores than did patients with the disease when evaluating the same health states with SG methods. When comparing indirect methods, the EQ-5D typically yielded higher values than the SF-6D, but also showed more sensitivity to differences in health states. CONCLUSIONS: When selecting CVD utility values for an economic model, consideration of the utility elicitation method is important, as this review demonstrates that methodology of choice impacts utility values in CVD.

Henry Ford HEART Score Randomized Trial: Rapid Discharge of Patients Evaluated for Possible Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: Hospital evaluation of patients with chest pain is common and costly. The HEART score risk stratification tool that merges troponin testing into a clinical risk model for evaluation emergency department patients with possible acute myocardial infarction (AMI) has been shown to effectively identify a substantial low-risk subset of patients possibly safe for early discharge without stress testing, a strategy that could have tremendous healthcare savings implications. METHOD AND RESULTS: A total of 105 patients evaluated for AMI in the emergency departments of 2 teaching hospitals in the Henry Ford Health System (Detroit and West Bloomfield, MI), between February 2014 and May 2015, with a modified HEART score ≤3 (which includes cardiac troponin I <0.04 ng/mL at 0 and 3 hours) were randomized to immediate discharge (n=53) versus management in an observation unit with stress testing (n=52). The primary end points were 30-day total charges and length of stay. Secondary end points were all-cause death, nonfatal AMI, rehospitalization for evaluation of possible AMI, and coronary revascularization at 30 days. Patients randomized to early discharge, compared with those who were admitted for observation and cardiac testing, spent less time in the hospital (median 6.3 hours versus 25.9 hours; P<0.001) with an associated reduction in median total charges of care ($2953 versus $9616; P<0.001). There were no deaths, AMIs, or coronary revascularizations in either group. One patient in each group was lost to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients evaluated for possible AMI in the emergency department with a modified HEART score ≤3, early discharge without stress testing as compared with transfer to an observation unit for stress testing was associated with significant reductions in length of stay and total charges, a finding that has tremendous potential national healthcare expenditure implications. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT03058120.

Sex-Based Differences in the Performance of the HEART Score in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Acute Chest Pain.

BACKGROUND: Sex-based differences in clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and outcomes of patients with acute chest pain are increasingly being recognized, but are not implemented in guidelines and clinical prediction tools. We evaluated the performance of the HEART score in women versus men, because sex-based differences may exist among the algorithm's components: history, electrocardiogram, age, risk factors, and admission troponin level. METHODS AND RESULTS: The HEART score was retrospectively assessed in 831 women and 1084 men presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain, assigning patients to the low-, intermediate-, or high-risk category for the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) within 6 weeks. MACE, consisting of myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, and all-cause death, also included events during index visit. Six-week MACE rates were 2 times lower in women than men (10.0% versus 20.8%; P<0.01). Despite similar discriminatory accuracy of the HEART score among women and men (c-statistic, 0.80 [0.75-0.84] versus 0.77 [0.74-0.81]; P=0.43), 6-week MACE rates were significantly lower in women than men across all HEART risk categories: 2.1% versus 6.5% (P<0.01) in the low-risk category, 12.7% versus 21.3% (P<0.01) in intermediate-risk category, and 53.1% versus 77.0% (P=0.02) in the high-risk category. The HEART score-adjusted risk ratio for men was 1.6 (1.3-2.0; P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The markedly higher 6-week MACE risk in men across all HEART risk categories should be taken into account when using the HEART score to guide clinical decision making; early discharge with a low-risk HEART score appears less safe for men than women with acute chest pain.

G-computation of average treatment effects on the treated and the untreated.

BACKGROUND: Average treatment effects on the treated (ATT) and the untreated (ATU) are useful when there is interest in: the evaluation of the effects of treatments or interventions on those who received them, the presence of treatment heterogeneity, or the projection of potential outcomes in a target (sub-) population. In this paper we illustrate the steps for estimating ATT and ATU using g-computation implemented via Monte Carlo simulation. METHODS: To obtain marginal effect estimates for ATT and ATU we used a three-step approach: fitting a model for the outcome, generating potential outcome variables for ATT and ATU separately, and regressing each potential outcome variable on treatment intervention. RESULTS: The estimates for ATT, ATU and average treatment effect (ATE) were of similar magnitude, with ATE being in between ATT and ATU as expected. In our illustrative example, the effect (risk difference [RD]) of a higher education on angina among the participants who indeed have at least a high school education (ATT) was -0.019 (95% CI: -0.040, -0.007) and that among those who have less than a high school education in India (ATU) was -0.012 (95% CI: -0.036, 0.010). CONCLUSIONS: The g-computation algorithm is a powerful way of estimating standardized estimates like the ATT and ATU. Its use should be encouraged in modern epidemiologic teaching and practice.

Post PCI Angina: Painful in Many Ways!

Based on a multi-payer claims database, post-PCI angina (or chest pain) was frequent, occurring in 28% of patients at 1-year and 40% at 3 years. Patients with post-PCI angina had more physician and emergency department visits, diagnostic testing, (including repeat cardiac catheterization 29 vs. 4%) and hospitalizations at 1-year leading to markedly higher total direct medical costs. These results should stimulate further research into the etiology of post-PCI angina and strategies to decrease both the frequency and the significant economic burden associated with the challenging problem.

Randomized Comparison of High-Sensitivity Troponin Reporting in Undifferentiated Chest Pain Assessment.

BACKGROUND: High-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) assays promise greater discrimination of evolving myocardial infarction, but the impact of unguided implementation on the effectiveness of care is uncertain. METHODS AND RESULTS: We evaluated the impact of hs-TnT reporting on care and outcome among chest pain patients presenting to 5 emergency departments within a multicenter randomized trial. Patients were allocated to hs-TnT reporting (hs-report) or standard reporting (std-report; Roche Elecys). The primary end point was death and new or recurrent acute coronary syndrome by 12 months. A total of 1937 patients without ST-segment elevation were enrolled between July 2011 and March 2013. The median age was 61 (interquartile range, 48-74) years, and 46.3% were women. During the index hospitalization, 1466 patients (75.7%) had maximal troponin <30 ng/L within 24 hours. Randomization to hs-report format did not alter the admission rate (hs-report: 57.7% versus std-report: 58.0%; P=0.069). There was no difference in angiography (hs-report: 11.9% versus std-report: 10.9%; P=0.479). The hs-reporting did not reduce 12-month death or new/recurrent acute coronary syndrome in the overall population (hs-report: 9.7% versus std-report: 7.2% [hazard ratio, 0.83 (0.57-1.22); P=0.362]). However, among those with troponin levels <30 ng/L, a modest reduction in the primary end point was observed (hs-report: 2.6% versus std-report: 4.4%, [hazard ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.34-0.1.00; P=0.050). CONCLUSIONS: High-sensitivity troponin reporting alone is associated with only modest changes in practice. Clinical effectiveness in the adoption of high-sensitivity troponin may require close coupling with protocols that guide interpretation and care. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.ANZCTR.org.au. Unique identifier: ACTRN12611000879965.

Long-term Cost-Effectiveness of Diagnostic Tests for Assessing Stable Chest Pain: Modeled Analysis of Anatomical and Functional Strategies.

Several tests exist for diagnosing coronary artery disease, with varying accuracy and cost. We sought to provide cost-effectiveness information to aid physicians and decision-makers in selecting the most appropriate testing strategy. We used the state-transitions (Markov) model from the Brazilian public health system perspective with a lifetime horizon. Diagnostic strategies were based on exercise electrocardiography (Ex-ECG), stress echocardiography (ECHO), single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), computed tomography coronary angiography (CTA), or stress cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (C-MRI) as the initial test. Systematic review provided input data for test accuracy and long-term prognosis. Cost data were derived from the Brazilian public health system. Diagnostic test strategy had a small but measurable impact in quality-adjusted life-years gained. Switching from Ex-ECG to CTA-based strategies improved outcomes at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 3100 international dollars per quality-adjusted life-year. ECHO-based strategies resulted in cost and effectiveness almost identical to CTA, and SPECT-based strategies were dominated because of their much higher cost. Strategies based on stress C-MRI were most effective, but the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio vs CTA was higher than the proposed willingness-to-pay threshold. Invasive strategies were dominant in the high pretest probability setting. Sensitivity analysis showed that results were sensitive to costs of CTA, ECHO, and C-MRI. Coronary CT is cost-effective for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and should be included in the Brazilian public health system. Stress ECHO has a similar performance and is an acceptable alternative for most patients, but invasive strategies should be reserved for patients at high risk.