Dedicated Care at Women’s Heart Center May Aid Diagnosis, Outcomes

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 7, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Care for cardiac conditions at a multidisciplinary women's heart center increases the likelihood of an accurate diagnosis and may improve clinical outcomes for women with heart disease, according to a study published online Sept. 7 in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology.

Mahraz Parvand, from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues assessed whether visiting a women's heart center is associated with improved outcomes among patients with ischemia or myocardial infarction. The analysis included questionnaire responses from 154 women with no obstructive coronary artery disease.

The researchers found that the most common referral was for chest pain (94 percent of those with ischemia and 66 percent of those with myocardial infarction). At baseline, a substantial number of patients did not have specific diagnoses (64 percent of those with ischemia and 43 percent of those with myocardial infarction). Following care at the women's heart center, 71.4 percent of patients with ischemia established a new or a changed diagnosis (most commonly coronary microvascular dysfunction, 68 percent), while 60 percent of patients with myocardial infarction established new or changed diagnoses (most commonly coronary vasospasm, 60 percent). At one year, there were significant decreases in chest pain and improved quality of life and mental health.

"We hope our findings highlight the importance of having a dedicated women-specific heart center, which provides comprehensive care for women with heart disease by providing risk factor assessment, referral to psychiatrists, exercise classes, smoking cessation treatment, and consultation with a dietitian in addition to a focus on conditions such as ischemia with no obstructive coronary artery disease that are more common in women," a coauthor said in a statement.

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