Myocardial perfusion SPECT “screening” at the start of dialysis

Excerpt

End stage renal disease (ESRD), defined by the need for renal replacement therapy (dialysis or renal transplantation), is a major health problem with an estimated prevalence in the US of half a million people and an annual incidence of >110,000 new dialysis beneficiaries in 2008. The annual economic cost is estimated at around 39 billion dollars. In 2007, mortality rates for those who were receiving dialysis were 6.7 to 8.5 times greater than those of the general US population.1 In a recent European study involving >123,000 patients starting dialysis, age standardized cardiovascular mortality was 8.8 times and non-cardiovascular mortality were 8.1 times higher than in the general population.2 Patients starting dialysis are hence a high-risk group in need for further risk stratification. …