Use of Echocardiography in Outpatients with Chest Pain and Normal Resting Electrocardiograms Referred to Mayo Clinic Rochester

Conclusion Echocardiograms were performed in 1 in 4 referral outpatients with chest pain seen at Mayo Clinic Rochester. However, only 1 in 16 of these echocardiograms was performed in violation of the class III recommendation in the American College of Cardiology Foundation/American Heart Association guidelines for the management of stable angina. These unnecessary echocardiograms were almost always normal, and had little impact on clinical management. The rate of unnecessary echocardiograms could be decreased by eliminating preordering. Condensed Abstract This study examined the rate of echocardiography in patients referred to Mayo Rochester with stable chest pain and known or suspected coronary artery disease who had a normal resting ECG and no other indication for echocardiography. Although 1 in 4 referral outpatients with chest pain underwent echocardiography, only 1 in 16 of these echocardiograms were performed in violation of the Class III guideline recommendation. These unnecessary echocardiograms were almost always normal, and had little impact on clinical management.
Source: American Heart Journal - Category: Cardiology Source Type: research