Introduction:
A disparity in health outcomes between black and white patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) has also been reported with pathophysiological differences in CAD and racial disparities in providing health care as potential explanations.
Hypothesis:
To determine racial disparity in emergency care of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing cardiac CT angiography (cCTA), which provides knowledge of underlying CAD status.
Methods:
We combined patient level data of the ACRIN-PA 4005 (American College of Radiology Imaging Network, Pennsylvania) and ROMICAT II (Rule Out Myocardial Infarction using Computer Assisted Tomography) trials, which enrolled patients presenting with suspicion of ACS who were randomized to cCTA as a first diagnostic test at 14 US sites. Sample was restricted to subjects with known CAD status based on cCTA. Self-reported race while the race ‘Black’ were defined as “a person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa” and the race ‘white’ as “a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa”.
Results:
We included 1,191 patients (53% white, 47% black). Pretest probability for ACS was similar (TIMI score, p=0.77) between black and white patients, while black patients had lower presence and extent of CAD (calcium score: 39.3±189.3 vs. 88.2±292.1, p<0.001; obstructive CAD 8.3% vs. 17.5%, p<0.001) and ACS (4.0% vs 6.9%, p=0.03). After accounting for the underlying CAD, black patients were more likely admitted to the hospital (β: 0.29 [95%CI: 0.05-0.54-]) and were more likely to undergo additional testing (β: 0.47 [95%CI: 0.09-0.85]) while remaining management showed no significant differences.
Conclusions:
After adjustment for underlying CAD, among patients in the ED with suspicion of ACS, those who are black received more downstream testing and were more frequently admitted to hospital than white patients.
INCREMENTAL VALUE OF EARLY RESTING MYOCARDIAL CT PERFUSION ASSESSMENT TO CARDIAC CT ANGIOGRAPHY FOR PREDICTION OF ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
