Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography Versus Radionuclide Myocardial Perfusion Imaging in Patients With Chest Pain Admitted to Telemetry: A Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: The role of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) in the management of symptomatic patients suspected of having coronary artery disease is expanding. However, prospective intermediate-term outcomes are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To compare CCTA with conventional noninvasive testing. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled comparative effectiveness trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00705458). SETTING: Telemetry-monitored wards of an inner-city medical center. PATIENTS: 400 patients with acute chest pain (mean age, 57 years); 63% women; 54% Hispanic and 37% African-American; and low socioeconomic status. INTERVENTION: CCTA or radionuclide stress myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). MEASUREMENTS: The primary outcome was cardiac catheterization not leading to revascularization within 1 year. Secondary outcomes included length of stay, resource utilization, and patient experience. Safety outcomes included death, major cardiovascular events, and radiation exposure. RESULTS: Thirty (15%) patients who had CCTA and 32 (16%) who had MPI underwent cardiac catheterization within 1 year. Fifteen (7.5%) and 20 (10%) of these patients, respectively, did not undergo revascularization (difference, -2.5 percentage points [95% CI, -8.6 to 3.5 percentage points]; hazard ratio, 0.77 [CI, 0.40 to 1.49]; P = 0.44). Median length of stay was 28.9 hours for the CCTA group and 30.4 hours for the MPI group (P = 0.057). Median follow-up was 40.4 months. For the CCTA and MPI groups, the incidence of death (0.5% versus 3%; P = 0.12), nonfatal cardiovascular events (4.5% versus 4.5%), rehospitalization (43% versus 49%), emergency department visit (63% versus 58%), and outpatient cardiology visit (23% versus 21%) did not differ. Long-term, all-cause radiation exposure was lower for the CCTA group (24 versus 29 mSv; P < 0.001). More patients in the CCTA group graded their experience favorably (P = 0.001) and would undergo the examination again (P = 0.003). LIMITATION: This was a single-site study, and the primary outcome depended on clinical management decisions. CONCLUSION: The CCTA and MPI groups did not significantly differ in outcomes or resource utilization over 40 months. Compared with MPI, CCTA was associated with less radiation exposure and with a more positive patient experience. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: American Heart Association.

Rationale and design of a randomized trial comparing initial stress echocardiography versus coronary CT angiography in low-to-intermediate risk emergency department patients with chest pain.

BACKGROUND: Comparative effectiveness research (CER) has become a major focus of cardiovascular disease investigation to optimize diagnosis and treatment paradigms and decrease healthcare expenditures. Acute chest pain is a highly prevalent reason for evaluation in the Emergency Department (ED) that results in hospital admission for many patients and excess expense. Improvement in noninvasive diagnostic algorithms can potentially reduce unnecessary admissions. OBJECTIVE: To compare the performance of treadmill stress echocardiography (SE) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in ED chest pain patients with low-to-intermediate risk of significant coronary artery disease. DESIGN: This is a single-center, randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing SE and CTA head-to-head as the initial noninvasive imaging modality. The primary outcome measured is the incidence of hospitalization. The study is powered to detect a reduction in admissions from 28% to 15% with a sample size of 400. Secondary outcomes include length of stay in the ED/hospital and estimated cost of care. Safety outcomes include subsequent visits to the ED and hospitalizations, as well as major adverse cardiovascular events at 30 days and 1 year. Patients who do not meet study criteria or do not consent for randomization are offered entry into an observational registry. CONCLUSIONS: This RCT will add to our understanding of the roles of different imaging modalities in triaging patients with suspected angina. It will increase the CER evidence base comparing SE and CTA and provide insight into potential benefits and limitations of appropriate use of treadmill SE in the ED.