Choosing Wisely

The ACC has released a list of "Five Things Physicians and Patients Should Question" in cardiology as part of the Choosing Wisely campaign, led by the ABIM Foundation. Choosing Wisely has worked with national medical societies like the ACC to stimulate conversations between and among clinicians and patients about potentially unnecessary tests, treatments and procedures.

The list, which is based on published national guidelines, includes five recommendations to:

  1. Avoid the routine use of invasive hemodynamic monitoring with pulmonary artery catheters in patients with uncomplicated acute decompensated heart failure who are hemodynamically stable and responding to treatment
  2. Avoid performing atrial fibrillation ablation for the sole purpose of discontinuing chronic anticoagulation
  3. Avoid routine imaging stress tests or coronary CT angiography for the workup of palpitations or presyncope
  4. Avoid obtaining a coronary artery calcium score in patients with known clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease
  5. Avoid obtaining routine serial echocardiograms for chronic heart failure if there has been no change in signs, symptoms or management