Why the study?
Do coronary angiography findings predict mortality in patients with mild or single-vessel coronary artery disease?
Do coronary angiography findings predict mortality in patients with mild or single-vessel coronary artery disease?
Even mild or single-vessel coronary artery disease identified on angiography carries a measurable annual mortality risk, which has implications for occupational risk stratification such as flight certification.
Mild or single-vessel CAD on angiography may inform cautious risk assessment in asymptomatic patients; leaves open its utility for occupational stratification pending prospective validation.
In the London Chest Hospital coronary artery study, patients without coronary artery disease involving the main trunks or with an isolated single main vessel lesion had an annual mortality rate of 1.5%. Many of these were asymptomatic when investigated but may have previously suffered angina or myocardial infarction. The data further suggested that even in asymptomatic subjects, mild coronary artery disease is associated with an annual mortality of 0.9%. Its presence therefore is a powerful risk factor for further manifestations of disease and should preclude unrestricted certification to fly.
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R. Balcon (1984) studied this question.
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