Impact of coronary artery calcium testing on patient management

Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring can identify individuals who may benefit from aggressive prevention therapies. However, there is a paucity of contemporary data on the impact of CAC testing on patient management.

Retrospective cohort study of adults who underwent CAC testing at Brigham and Women's Hospital between 2015 and 2019. Information on baseline medications, follow-up medications, lifestyle modification, and downstream cardiovascular testing within one-year post-CAC were obtained from electronic health records.

Of the 839 patients with available baseline and follow-up data, 376 (45%) had a CAC ​= ​0, 289 (34%) had CAC ​= ​1-99, and 174 (21%) had CAC≥100. The mean age at time of CAC testing was 59 ​± ​9.7 years. Patients with higher CAC scores were more likely to be male, have diabetes and hypertension, and have higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. A non-zero CAC score was associated with initiation of aspirin (41% increase, p ​< ​0.001), anti-hypertensives (9% increase, p ​= ​0.031), and lipid-lowering therapies (114% increase, p ​< ​0.001), whereas CAC ​= ​0 was not. Among individuals with CAC≥100, 75% were started on new or more intense lipid-lowering therapy. Higher calcium scores correlated with increased physician recommendations for diet (p ​= ​0.008) and exercise (p ​= ​0.004). The proportion of cardiovascular downstream testing following CAC was 9.1%, and the majority of patients who underwent additional testing post-CAC had CAC scores ≥100.

Approximately half of individuals referred for CAC testing had evidence of calcified coronary plaque, and of those who had significant calcifications (CAC≥100), nearly 90% were prescribed lipid-lowering therapies post-CAC. Rates of downstream non-invasive testing were low and such testing was mostly performed in patients who had at least moderate CAC.