Racial and ethnic differences in the use of cardiovascular procedures: Findings from the California Cooperative Cardiovascular Project

Objectives. This study used data from the California Cooperative Cardiovasc ular Project to examine the use of invasive and noninvasive cardiovascular procedures among Whites, African Americans, and Hispanics. Methods. The use of catheterization, percutaneous transluminal coronary ang ioplasty (PTCA), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, and several n oninvasive tests among all patients 65 years or older with a confirmed acut e myocardial infarction in nonfederal hospitals from 1994 to 1995 was studi ed. Results. African Americans (n = 527) were less likely than Whites (n = 9489 ) to have received catheterization (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.62, 95% co nfidence interval [CI] = 0.50, 0.76), PTCA (OR = 0.64. 95% CI = 0.49, 0.85) . or CABG surgery (OR = 0.42, 95% CI = 0.27, 0.64); somewhat more likely to have received a stress test or an echocardiogram; and equally likely to ha ve received a multiple-gated acquisition scan. Hispanics (n = 689) also wer e less likely than Whites to have received catheterization (OR = 0.82, 95% CI = 0.68, 0.98) or PTCA (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.45, 0.75). Conclusions. African Americans were less likely than Whites to undergo cost ly invasive cardiovascular procedures. In addition Hispanics were less like ly than Whites to have received catheterization and PTCA.