Comparing methods for identifying patients with heart failure using electronic data sources.

Background: Accurately identifying heart failure (HF) patients from administrative claims data is useful for both research and quality of care efforts. Yet, there are few comparisons of the various claims data criteria (also known as claims signatures) for identifying HF patients. We compared various HF claim signatures to assess their relative accuracy.

Prognostic predictors and outcomes in patients with abnormal myocardial perfusion imaging and angiographically insignificant coronary artery disease.

Background: Abnormal stress myocardial perfusion imaging studies (SMPI) with angiographically insignificant coronary artery disease (ICAD) have often been labeled "false positive" scans. We evaluated the prognostic predictors and outcomes in an unselected patient population having abnormal SMPI and ICAD (study group) over a 24 month period of follow-up.

Methods: Retrospective study of consecutive patients who had SMPI and subsequent coronary angiography showing ICAD within 6 months of index scan with matched control group with normal scans.

Long term favorable prognostic value of negative treadmill echocardiogram in the setting of abnormal treadmill electrocardiogram: a 95 month median duration follow-up study.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to assess if negative treadmill echocardiographic (NTME) results retained their favorable prognosis over a long period of follow-up (median, 95 months) in the setting of ischemic stress electrocardiographic (ISECG) results.

Methods: Consecutive patients with NTME results were analyzed as 2 groups (those with ISECG results and those with normal stress electrocardiographic results). Patients were followed up for a median duration of 95 months to identify major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), including all-cause death, myocardial infarction, and coronary revascularization.