News Finding: "More studies need to be conducted to clarify the best testing strategy for low-risk patients being evaluated for chest pain in the ED.
Paper Finding: More studies need to be conducted to clarify the best testing strategy for low-risk patients being evaluated for chest pain in the ED.
News Context: The study showed that compared with no testing, EE, MPS and CCTA were associated with higher odds of undergoing cardiac catheterization and revascularization procedures without an accompanying improvement in the odds of having a heart attack. "More studies need to be conducted to clarify the best testing strategy for low-risk patients being evaluated for chest pain in the ED. Given today's concerns regarding health care cost growth, especially the portion attributable to noninvasive cardiac imaging, and patient safety issues related to radiation exposure as well as overdiagnosis, performing such a study should be a priority," the study concludes.
Paper Context: In addition, for every 100 000 patients who undergo CCTA instead of an initial strategy of no testing, approximately 800 individuals will have an unnecessary revascularization procedure performed. More studies need to be conducted to clarify the best testing strategy for low-risk patients being evaluated for chest pain in the ED. A randomized trial comparing a no-testing strategy with different noninvasive testing strategies with an emphasis on hard end points could definitively address this need.