Stress Testing and Its Role in Coronary Artery Disease

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the single leading cause of death of men and women in the Unites States. It accounts for about one-third of all deaths in subjects over age 35. The 2010 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics update of the American Heart Association reported that 17.6 million persons in the United States have CAD, and that the 2006 overall death rate from cardiovascular disease was 262.5 per 100,000. CAD caused about one of every six deaths in the United States in 2006. From 1996–2006, the number of inpatient discharges from short stay hospitals with CAD, as the first listed diagnosis, increased from 6,107,000 to 6,161,000 discharges. The estimated direct and indirect cost of CAD for 2010 is $503.2 billion ($503.2 billion in equivalent Euro) (AHA, 2000). Being able to identify patients with suspected CAD early will help drive down hospital costs and ultimately decrease mortality and morbidity. Stress testing has emerged as the sole non-invasive method for risk stratifying patients with suspected CAD.