Task force still says "no" to ECG screening

Task force still says "no" to ECG screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) continues to recommend against screening with ECG asymptomatic adults at low risk of a coronary heart disease (CHD) event.

In 2004, the USPSTF found a lack of evidence that ECG screening in asymptomatic, low-risk adults improves health outcomes. Recently, USPSTF members Virginia A. Moyer, MD, MPH, and colleagues reviewed new published research and again found that ECG screening was unwarranted for such adults (Ann Intern Med. 2012;157).

The USPSTF ultimately concluded that screening asymptomatic, low-risk adults was highly unlikely to result in changes in risk stratification that would eventually reduce CHD events. In addition, such testing could lead to unnecessary invasive procedures, overtreatment, and other harms.

Clinicians may want to incorporate another measure into their risk assessment for heart disease: erectile dysfunction (ED). Martin Miner, MD, and colleagues reported online ahead of print in American Heart Journal that practitioners should inquire about ED symptoms in all men older than age 30 years with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, as identification of ED — particularly in men younger than age 60 years and in those with diabetes — represents an important first step toward the detection and reduction of CVD risk.