Optimal Strategies for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease

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Abstract
A computer program has been developed to aid in diagnostic and therapeutic decisions concerning a patient with chest pain. It provides an analysis tailored to the individual patient, in that the data used in the analysis depend on specific patient characteristics. The user can elect to examine all stored data values (probabilities, quality-adjusted life expectancies, and monetary costs), and to alter any of them. Decisions at three stages in the patient workup are considered: prior to any diagnostic test, following an exercise tolerance test, and following coronary angiography. The results of the analysis can be displayed in several tabular and graphical formats. In addition, the program can carry out a Monte Carlo simulation (or probabilistic sensitivity analysis) to determine the effect of uncertainty in the data on the stability of the choice of optimal strategy. (Med Decis Making 3:23-28, 1983)

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