Differences in therapeutic consequences of exercise testing between a rural and an urban Danish county: population based study

摘要

Coronary angiography is the main diagnostic test for deciding whether to refer a patient for coronary revas-cularisation, but referral for coronary angiography may vary significantly among regions. Regional differences have been explained by the fact that access to cardiac catheterisation facilities is associated with a higher likelihood of undergoing angiography. We investigated the impact of exercise stress testing on decisions taken about patients suspected of having angina pectoris and the barriers to referral for coronary angiography.