ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the demographic characteristics, cardiac risk factors, angiographic findings, and complications of patients undergoing coronary angiography. BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence of coronary angiography safety, however, limited data is available concerning the value of this procedure in the Puerto Rican population. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 322 patients submitted to this procedure at the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean over a three-month period during 1995. Comparisons of means were based on Student's t-test; comparisons of proportions were based on Pearson's Chi-Square test. RESULTS: Mean age was 60.4 +/- 10.6 years (Range: 20-86); 57.1 per cent were males. Stable angina (p < 0.001) and atypical chest pain (p = 0.014) were more frequent in females. Smoking history (p < 0.0001), left ventricular dysfunction (p = 0.003), angina post-myocardial infarction (p < 0.001), and myocardial infarction (p < 0.025) were more frequent in males. The most frequent angiographic findings were two-vessel disease (24.2 per cent), normal coronary angiogram (21.2 per cent), and non-obstructive disease (16.9 per cent). In patients with angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension (69.8 per cent), diabetes mellitus (41.3 per cent), and hypercholesterolemia (37 per cent) were the predominant risk factors. Thirty-four percent of patients had left ventricular dysfunction. The majority of patients (86 per cent) met American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Class I.