National trends in visits to physician offices and outpatient clinics for angina 1995 to 2010

Is typical angina still prognostically important? The influence of "treatment bias" upon prognostic assessments

BACKGROUND

Since typical angina has become less frequent, it is unclear if this symptom still has prognostic significance.

METHODS

We evaluated 38,383 patients undergoing stress/rest SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging followed for a median of 10.9 years. After dividing patients by clinical symptoms, we evaluated the magnitude of myocardial ischemia and subsequent mortality among medically treated versus revascularized subgroups following testing.

RESULTS

Patients with typical angina had more frequent and greater ischemia than other symptom groups, but not higher mortality. Among typical angina patients, those who underwent early revascularization had substantially greater ischemia than the medically treated subgroup, including a far higher proportion with severe ischemia (44.9% vs 4.3%, P < 0.001) and transient ischemic dilation of the LV (31.3% vs 4.7%, P < 0.001). Nevertheless, the revascularized typical angina subgroup had a lower adjusted mortality risk than the medically treated subgroup (HR = 0.72, 95% CI: 0.57-0.92, P = 0.009) CONCLUSIONS: Typical angina is associated with substantially more ischemia than other clinical symptoms. However, the high referral of patients with typical angina patients with ischemia to early revascularization resulted in this group having a lower rather than higher mortality risk versus other symptom groups. These findings illustrate the need to account for "treatment bias" among prognostic studies.

Decline in typical angina among patients referred for cardiac stress testing

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate temporal trends in the prevalence of typical angina and its clinical correlates among patients referred for stress/rest SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We evaluated the prevalence of chest pain symptoms and their relationship to inducible myocardial ischemia among 61,717 patients undergoing stress/rest SPECT-MPI between January 2, 1991 and December 31, 2017. We also assessed the relationship between chest pain symptom and angiographic findings among 6,579 patients undergoing coronary CT angiography between 2011 and 2017.

RESULTS

The prevalence of typical angina among SPECT-MPI patients declined from 16.2% between 1991 and 1997 to 3.1% between 2011 and 2017, while the prevalence of dyspnea without any chest pain increased from 5.9 to 14.5% over the same period. The frequency of inducible myocardial ischemia declined over time within all symptom groups, but its frequency among current patients (2011-2017) with typical angina was approximately three-fold higher versus other symptom groups (28.4% versus 8.6%, p < 0.001). Overall, patients with typical angina had a higher prevalence of obstructive CAD on CCTA than those with other clinical symptoms, but 33.3% of typical angina patients had no coronary stenoses, 31.1% had 1-49% stenoses, and 35.4% had ≥ 50% stenoses.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of typical angina has declined to a very low level among contemporary patients referred for noninvasive cardiac tests. The angiographic findings among current typical angina patients are now quite heterogeneous, with one-third of such patients having normal coronary angiograms. However, typical angina remains associated with a substantially higher frequency of inducible myocardial ischemia compared to patients with other cardiac symptoms.

Assessment of lifestyle-related risk factors enhances the effectiveness of cardiac stress testing

Cardiac stress tests have been widely utilized since the 1960s for the diagnostic and prognostic assessment of patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Clinical risk is primarily based on assessing the presence and magnitude of inducible myocardial ischemia. However, the primary factors driving mortality risk have changed over recent decades. Factors such as typical angina and inducible ischemia have decreased, whereas the percentage of patients with diabetes, obesity and hypertension have increased. There has also been a marked temporal increase in the percentage of patients who require pharmacologic testing due to inability to perform treadmill exercise at the time of cardiac stress testing and this need has emerged as the most potent predictor of mortality risk in contemporary stress test populations. However, the long-term clinical risk posed by the inability to perform exercise and concomitant CAD risk factors are rarely reflected in the assessment of patients' prognostic risk in cardiac stress test reports. In this review, we suggest that the clinical utility of present-day cardiac stress testing can be improved by developing a more comprehensive assessment that integrates and reports all factors which modulate patients' long-term clinical risk following stress testing. This should include assessment of patients' CAD risk factors, physical activity habits and mobility risks, identification of the reasons why patients could not exercise at the time of cardiac stress testing. In addition, the assessment of four core non-aerobic functional parameters should be considered among patients who cannot exercise: assessment of gait speed, handgrip strength, lower extremity strength, and standing balance.

Assessment of lifestyle "vital signs" in healthcare settings

Unhealthy lifestyles, such as maintenance of poor diets and physical inactivity, are a powerful driver of disease-producing risk factors and chronic illnesses. This has led to an increasing call to assess adverse lifestyle factors in healthcare settings. This approach could be aided by designating health-related lifestyle factors as "vital signs" that can be recorded during patient visits. Just such an approach has been used for assessing patients' smoking habits since the 1990s. In this review, we assess the rationale for addressing six other health-related lifestyle factors, beyond smoking, in patient care settings: physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior (SB), participation in muscle strengthening exercises, mobility limitations, diet, and sleep quality. For each domain, we evaluate the evidence that supports currently proposed ultra-short screening tools. Our analysis indicates strong medical evidence to support the use of one to two-item screening questions for assessing patients' PA, SB, muscle strengthening activities, and presence of "pre-clinical" mobility limitations. We also present a theoretical basis for measuring patients' diet quality through use of an ultrashort dietary screen, based on evaluation of healthy food intake (fruits/vegetables) and unhealthy food intake (high consumption of highly processed meats and/or consumption of sugary foods and beverages) and a proposed evaluation of sleep quality using a single-item screener. The result is a 10-item lifestyle questionnaire that is based on patient self-report. As such, this questionnaire has the potential to be employed as a practical tool for assessing health behaviors in clinical care settings without impairing the normal workflow of healthcare providers.

The prevalence and predictors of inducible myocardial ischemia among patients referred for radionuclide stress testing

BACKGROUND

The frequency of inducible myocardial ischemia has declined in contemporary stress test cohorts, suggesting a need to re-evaluate its optimal use. To-date, however, a comprehensive analysis of the most potent predictors of myocardial ischemia among cardiac stress test patients has not been conducted.

METHODS

We assessed 27,615 patients referred for stress-rest SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2017. Chi-square analysis was used to ascertain the most potent predictors of ischemia.

RESULTS

Among our cohort, CAD status (presence/absence of known CAD), rest left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and typical angina were the most potent predictors of ischemia. The frequency of ischemia was only 6.6% among patients with an LVEF > 55% but 38.1% for patients with LVEF < 45% (P < 0.001). The frequency of myocardial ischemia was fourfold higher among patients with known CAD vs no known CAD (28.0% vs 6.5%, P < 0.001) and approximately threefold higher among patients with typical angina vs patients with atypical symptoms (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The frequency of myocardial ischemia varies markedly according to the common clinical parameters and is particularly high among patients with known CAD, low LVEF, and typical angina. These observations may be used to develop more cost-effective strategies for referring patients for cardiac stress testing.

Prevalence and predictors of automatically quantified myocardial ischemia within a multicenter international registry

BACKGROUND

The utility of cardiac stress testing depends on the prevalence of myocardial ischemia within candidate populations. However, a comprehensive assessment of the factors influencing frequency of myocardial ischemia within contemporary populations referred for stress testing has not been performed.

METHODS

We assessed 19,690 patients undergoing nuclear stress testing from a multicenter registry. The chi-square test was used to assess the relative importance of features for predicting myocardial ischemia.

RESULTS

In the overall cohort, LVEF, male gender, and rest total perfusion deficit (TPD) were the top three predictors of ischemia, followed by CAD status, age, typical angina, and CAD risk factors. Myocardial ischemia was observed in 13.6 % of patients with LVEF > 55 %, in 26.2 % of patients with LVEF 45 %-54 %, and in 48.3% among patients with LVEF < 45 % (P < 0.001). A similar pattern was noted for rest TPD (P < 0.001). Men had a threefold higher frequency of ischemia versus women (25.8 % vs. 8.4%, P < 0.001). Although the relative ranking of ischemia predictors varied among centers, LVEF and/or rest TPD were among the two most potent predictors of myocardial ischemia within each center.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of myocardial ischemia varied markedly according to clinical and imaging characteristics. LVEF and rest TPD are robust predictors of myocardial ischemia.

Previously undiagnosed angina pectoris in individuals without established cardiovascular disease: Prevalence and prognosis in the United States

BACKGROUND

The prevalence and prognosis of previously undiagnosed angina pectoris (AP) in the absence of established cardiovascular disease (CVD) are unknown. This study sought to determine the prevalence and prognosis of previously undiagnosed AP in the absence of established CVD in the United States.

METHODS

Data derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2001-2018) and the Rose Angina Questionnaire (RAQ) were used to identify AP among participants ≥ 40 years without established CVD. Determinants of previously undiagnosed AP (AP undiagnosed prior to RAQ analysis) and predictors of all-cause mortality were identified using multivariable logistic regression analysis and the Cox proportional hazard model.

RESULTS

Of the 27,506 participants eligible for analysis, 621 participants had previously undiagnosed AP. Thus, the prevalence of previously undiagnosed AP was 1.99% (95% CI 1.79-2.20). Female gender, poverty, < high school education, hypertension, cigarette smoking, and obesity were independent predictors of previously undiagnosed AP. All-cause mortality rates were 1.71 per 1000 person months for participants with previously undiagnosed AP and were 1.08 per 1000 person months to those without previously undiagnosed AP (p = 0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of previously undiagnosed AP in the United States is 1.99% in persons ≥ 40 years of age without established CVD. Previously undiagnosed AP in those without established CVD was an independent predictor of all-cause mortality.

Changing Drivers of Mortality Among Patients Referred for Cardiac Stress Testing

Objective

To identify temporal shifts in coronary artery disease (CAD) risk factor profiles, clinical parameters, and corresponding mortality rates among patients referred for radionuclide stress testing over 22 years.

Patients and Methods

We assessed 39,750 patients with suspected CAD (“diagnostic” patients) and 10,982 patients with known CAD who underwent radionuclide stress testing between January 2, 1991, and December 31, 2012, and were followed up for at least 5 years (median, 12.7 years).

Results

Among both diagnostic patients and those with known CAD, there was a marked temporal decline in typical angina and myocardial ischemia. However, several risk factors for disease progressively increased, including diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. In addition, the need to perform pharmacological testing in lieu of exercise increased markedly between the first and fourth epochs among both diagnostic patients (from 26.5% [1634 of 6176] to 53.0% [5781 of 10,908]; P<.001) and patients with known CAD (from 31.1% [999 of 3213] to 75.5% [1405 of 1860]; P<.001). The net effect of these competing positive and negative risk factor trends was no change in the adjusted annualized rate of mortality over the temporal span in our study, ranging from 1.57% per year in 1991-1995 to 1.76% per year in 2006-2012 among diagnostic patients and from 2.46% per year to 2.75% per year during the same intervals among patients with known CAD.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest a marked contemporary shift in the drivers of all-cause mortality among patients undergoing cardiac stress tests away from such factors as typical angina and inducible myocardial ischemia, which are declining in prevalence, and toward such factors as diabetes and an inability to perform exercise, which are increasing in prevalence.

Trends in Coded Indications for Percutaneous Coronary Interventions in Medicare and the Veterans Affairs After Implementation of Hospital-Level Reporting of Appropriate Use Criteria

BACKGROUND

In 2009, the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association published Appropriate Use Criteria for Coronary Revascularization (AUC) to aid patient selection for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The subsequent decline in inappropriate PCIs was interpreted as a success of AUC. However, there are concerns clinicians reclassify nonacute PCIs to acute indications to fulfill AUC.

METHODS

A longitudinal, observational difference-in-differences analysis was performed using administrative claims from US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) beneficiaries coenrolled in Medicare and from a national random sample of Medicare beneficiaries, undergoing PCI from September 30, 2009, to December 31, 2013. Non-VA hospitals participating in the American College of Cardiology CathPCI registry began receiving AUC reports in 2011, while VA hospitals did not receive reports, serving as quasiexperimental and control cohorts, respectively. We measured the proportion of PCIs coded for acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and nonacute coronary syndrome indications by quarter.

RESULTS

There were 87 464 and 30 251 PCIs performed in the Medicare and VA cohorts, respectively. In Medicare, proportion of PCIs coded for acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina changed from 31.9% and 12.6% in quarter 4 2009 to 41.0% and 10.5% in quarter 4 2013, an associated 2.00% (95% CI, 1.56%-2.44%; P<0.001) increase per year in PCIs coded for acute coronary syndrome indications. In the VA, proportion of PCIs coded for acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina changed from 26.5% and 15.7% in quarter 4 2009 to 34.3% and 12.3% in quarter 4 2013, an associated 1.20% (95% CI, 0.56%-1.88%; P=0.001) increase per year in PCIs coded for acute coronary syndrome indications. Difference-in-differences modeling found no statistically significant change in PCI coded for acute indications between Medicare and VA, pre- and post-AUC reporting.

CONCLUSIONS

After introduction of AUC assessments and reporting, we observed comparable increases in coding for acute myocardial infarction and corresponding decreases in coding for unstable angina and nonacute coronary syndrome indications among national cohorts of Medicare and VA enrollees. The provision of appropriate use reporting did not appear to have a substantial impact on the proportion of PCIs coded for acute indications during this study period.

Burden of Nasal Polyps in the United States

Objective

To investigate the clinical and health care burden of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) with nasal polyps (CRSwNP) in the United States.

Study Design

Retrospective, cross-sectional design with analyses of patient visits from 2 databases.

Setting

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS, 2012-2016) and State Ambulatory Surgery and Services Databases (SASD, 2012-2015) in available states.

Methods

In each analysis, we identified patients (≥18 years old) with a diagnosis of CRSwNP (ICD-9-CM: 471.x; ICD-10-CM: J33.x) in the visit record during the study period. CRS patients without polyps (CRSsNP: ICD-9-CM: 473.x, ICD-10-CM: J32.x; without CRSwNP codes) were identified for comparison. In the SASD, we focused on visits involving relevant sinus procedures. Outcomes included comorbidities, diagnostic testing, and prescribed medication (NAMCS) and surgery visit characteristics (SASD).

Results

We identified 2272 NAMCS records from physician offices (183 CRSwNP, 2089 CRSsNP). Most visits were for patients aged <65 years (78.8%, 80.6%) and privately insured (67.7%, 61.5%); CRSwNP visits had a male majority (56.3%, 35.4%). CRSwNP vs CRSsNP visits more often reported asthma (40.2%, 10.3%), allergic rhinitis (14.0%, 8.7%), and congestion (22.0%, 21.1%), with the use of glucocorticoids (21.0%, 17.7%) and nasal allergy medication (26.2%, 10.2%). In the SASD, 427,306 surgery visits were identified (71,195 CRSwNP, 356,111 CRSsNP); demographics were similar to NAMCS. CRSwNP surgeries involved more sinus types (59.3%, 41.4%). Surgeries were mostly elective (>99%) and completed quickly (<2 hours), without perioperative complications (>99%), followed by routine discharge (>91%); follow-up visits were common (14.9%, 13.9%).

Conclusion

CRSwNP compared to CRSsNP patients have a distinct clinical experience, with moderately higher medication need and more extensive surgery.

Optimizing the Assessment of Patient Clinical Risk at the Time of Cardiac Stress Testing

Due to a marked temporal decline in inducible myocardial ischemia over recent decades, most diagnostic patients now referred for cardiac stress testing have nonischemic studies. Among nonischemic patients, however, long-term risk is heterogeneous and highly influenced by a variety of clinical parameters. Herein, we review 8 factors that can govern long-term clinical risk: coronary risk factor burden; patient symptoms; exercise capacity and exercise test responses; the need for pharmacologic stress testing; autonomic function; musculoskeletal status; subclinical atherosclerosis; and psychosocial risk. To capture the clinical benefit provided by both assessing myocardial ischemia and these additional parameters, the authors propose that a cardiac stress tests report have an additional component beyond statements as to the likelihood of obstructive coronary artery disease and/or magnitude of ischemia. This added component could be a comment section designed to make referring physicians aware of aspects of long-term risk that may influence clinical management and potentially lead to changes in the intensity of risk factor management, frequency of follow-up, need for further testing, or other management decisions. In this manner, the increasingly frequent normal stress test result might more commonly influence treatment recommendations and even patient behavior, thus leading to improvement in patient outcomes even in the setting of normal stress test results.

Limited Use of Outpatient Stress Testing in Young Patients With Atypical Chest Pain

Low prevalence of coronary artery disease within this population suggests that younger patients may not require stress testing for chest pain evaluations as long as pretest likelihood is low.

Primary Prevention of CVD: The Role of Imaging Trials

The optimal approach for screening for cardiovascular disease remains controversial. A new standard of "therapeutic efficacy" requires that screening tests which involve cardiac imaging not only predict events but also improve clinical outcomes compared with usual care. To date, 5 prospective randomized trials have been conducted to compare outcomes based on imaging-guided screening and prevention versus assignment to usual care in screening populations. One trial involved cardiac stress imaging, 3 involved coronary artery calcium scanning, and 1 involved coronary computed tomography angiography. Due to the current very low event risk in asymptomatic populations, these trials have been substantially underpowered to assess the impact of imaging-guided prevention on hard cardiac events. This review derives lessons learned from these trials relative to the future design of imaging-based screening trials, including analysis regarding the optimal methods for screening, and what are the relevant clinical outcomes to assess the efficacy of imaging-based screening for prevention.

Physician decision making and trends in the use of cardiac stress testing in the United States: an analysis of repeated cross-sectional data

BACKGROUND

Cardiac stress testing, particularly with imaging, has been the focus of debates about rising health care costs, inappropriate use, and patient safety in the context of radiation exposure.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether U.S. trends in cardiac stress test use may be attributable to population shifts in demographics, risk factors, and provider characteristics and evaluate whether racial/ethnic disparities exist in physician decision making.

DESIGN

Analyses of repeated cross-sectional data.

SETTING

National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (1993 to 2010).

PATIENTS

Adults without coronary heart disease.

MEASUREMENTS

Cardiac stress test referrals and inappropriate use.

RESULTS

Between 1993 to 1995 and 2008 to 2010, the annual number of U.S. ambulatory visits in which a cardiac stress test was ordered or performed increased from 28 per 10,000 visits to 45 per 10,000 visits. No trend was found toward more frequent testing after adjustment for patient characteristics, risk factors, and provider characteristics (P = 0.134). Cardiac stress tests with imaging comprised a growing portion of all tests, increasing from 59% in 1993 to 1995 to 87% in 2008 to 2010. At least 34.6% were probably inappropriate, with associated annual costs and harms of $501 million and 491 future cases of cancer. Authors found no evidence of a lower likelihood of black patients receiving a cardiac stress test (odds ratio, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.69 to 1.21]) than white patients, although some evidence of disparity in Hispanic patients was found (odds ratio, 0.75 [CI, 0.55 to 1.02]).

LIMITATION

Cross-sectional design with limited clinical data.

CONCLUSION

National growth in cardiac stress test use can largely be explained by population and provider characteristics, but use of imaging cannot. Physician decision making about cardiac stress test use does not seem to contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease.

PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.

National trends in the prevalence and medical history of angina: 1988 to 2012

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of angina from 1971 to 1994 was relatively flat for whites and blacks. We ask whether the prevalence and medical history of angina have changed during 1988 to 2012.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1988 to 2004 and the data from the six 2-year surveys from 2001 to 2012. We calculated trends in both crude and standardized prevalence rates for the Rose questionnaire on angina (symptomatology) and a question asking whether the respondent had ever been told by a medical professional that they had angina (medical history). In 2009 to 2012, there were on average 3.4 million (95% confidence interval, 2.8-4.0 million) people aged ≥40 years in the United States each year with angina (Rose questionnaire) and 4.5 million (95% confidence interval, 3.5-5.1 million) people with a medical history of angina. The burden of angina varied across age, race, and sex categories, and the pattern of variation differed by whether symptomatology or medical history was assessed. Statistically significant declines in the rates for both outcomes were noted, for the most part, in people aged ≥65 years. Age and sex standardized rates declined significantly for whites but not for blacks.

CONCLUSIONS

Rates of angina symptoms and medical history of angina have declined among non-Hispanic whites and among adults aged ≥65 years. Blacks have not experienced these same declines. Clearly, additional study is required to understand these declines and to track the future cost and burden of angina in the US population.