Gender and willingness to undergo invasive cardiac procedures

To explore the role of patient preferences in explaining gender differences in the use of invasive cardiac procedures, we surveyed 174 patients presenting for cardiac stress testing at a university hospital. Controlling for sociodemographic factors, health status, symptom severity, and history of prior procedures, women expressed greater willingness than men to accept a physician's recommendation of cardiac catheterization (odds ratio 7.1; 95% confidence interval 1.1, 45.3) and similar willingness to accept a recommendation for coronary angioplasty or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. We conclude that patient preferences are unlikely to explain gender disparities in the use of invasive cardiac procedures.