In patients with symptoms of angina and low to intermediate pre-test probability of coronary heart disease
(CHD) or known stable CHD guidelines recommend non-invasive ischemia testing (NIIT) instead of potentially
harmful invasive coronary angiography (CA). Studies from the USA indicate that a large proportion of
patients does not undergo recommended NIIT prior to CA. Furthermore data show a wide regional variation
in the proportion of NIIT raising the question whether a substantial number of patients might currently
undergo inappropriate invasive testing. In this interactive seminar I will present and discuss the frequency of
NIIT prior to elective CA in Switzerland based on an insurance-claims data analysis.
