Table 4.
Stress Tests Among Patients Undergoing Elective Noncardiac Surgical Procedures with No Indications for Preoperative Stress Testing
| Stress Test N (%) | P value | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 2,803 (3.75) | |
| Age | ||
| 65–69 | 789 (3.71) | 0.358 |
| 70–74 | 839 (3.64) | |
| 75–79 | 655 (3.83) | |
| 80–84 | 385 (4.05) | |
| 85+ | 135 (3.47) | |
| Sex | ||
| Male | 966 (3.26) | <0.0001 |
| Female | 1,837 (4.07) | |
| Race | ||
| White | 2,593 (3.72) | 0.0704 |
| Black | 150 (4.45) | |
| Other | 60 (3.41) | |
| Charlson comorbidity | ||
| 0 | 2413 (3.66) | 0.001 |
| ≥1 | 390 (4.39) | |
| Surgical procedure | ||
| High risk | 608 (4.30) | <0.0001 |
| Intermediate risk | 1,997 (4.16) | |
| Low risk | 198 (1.57) | |
| Cardiac complications | ||
| Yes | 87 (5.22) | 0.001 |
| No | 2,720 (3.70) | |
| 30-day mortality | 0.430 | |
| Yes | 12 (3.00) | |
| No | 2,791 (3.75) | |
| Size MSA | <0.0001 | |
| < 250,000 | 521 (2.90) | |
| 250,000–1,000,000 | 721 (3.37) | |
| 1,000,000+ | 1,561 (4.41) | |
| Medical School Affiliation | ||
| Yes | 1,182 (4.11) | <0.0001 |
| No | 1,621 (3.52) | |
| Hospital Type | ||
| Nonprofit | 2,220 (3.91) | 0.0002 |
| Profit | 292 (3.17) | |
| Government | 291 (3.30) | |
| Hospital size | ||
| <200 beds | 734 (3.38) | <0.0001 |
| 200–324 beds | 538 (3.26) | |
| 325–500 beds | 715 (3.97) | |
| >500 beds | 816 (4.40) | |
| US region | <0.0001 | |
| Northeast | 477 (3.89) | |
| Midwest | 1,075 (4.68) | |
| South | 865 (3.27) | |
| Mountain West | 174 (3.34) | |
| Pacific West | 212 (2.70) | |
| Cardiologists per 100,000 population | <0.0001 | |
| Q1 (0–5) | 570 (3.14) | |
| Q2 (5–<6) | 599 (3.22) | |
| Q3 (6–<7) | 787 (4.24) | |
| Q4 (≥ 7) | 832 (4.42) | |
| Medicare expenditures in HRR (2006$) | <0.0001 | |
| Q1 ($0–$6,806) | 520 (2.84) | |
| Q2 ($6,806–7,579) | 721 (3.88) | |
| Q3 ($7,579–8,528) | 736 (3.97) | |
| Q4 (> $8528) | 811 (4.35) |
MSA = metropolitan statistical area; HRR = hospital referral region