Combined strategy of upfront CTCA and optimal treatment for stable chest pain: rationale and design of the CLEAR-CAD trial.

Background: Patients with stable chest pain suspected of coronary artery disease (CAD) usually undergo multiple diagnostic tests to confirm or rule out obstructive CAD. Some tests may not effectively assess the presence of CAD, precluding optimal treatment. A diagnostic strategy of upfront computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) combined with optimal medical therapy (OMT) tailored to the extent of CAD may be superior to standard care in preventing major adverse cardiac events.

Application of European Society of Cardiology guidelines for evaluating acute coronary syndrome risk in low-risk patients with cocaine-associated chest pain: Findings from the RISK study - An observational analysis.

Background: Cocaine was the drug of choice in 4.7 % of all recreational drug-related emergency department visits. Of these patients, 40 % present with cocaine-associated chest pain, of whom 4.

Health economic evaluation of nation-wide screening programmes for atrial fibrillation in the Netherlands.

Aims: Screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) is recommended by the European Society of Cardiology guidelines to prevent strokes. Cost-effectiveness analyses of different screening programmes for AF are difficult to compare because of varying settings and models used. We compared the impact and cost-effectiveness of various AF screening programmes in the Netherlands.