Utility of Coronary Artery Calcium Scores in Predicting Risk of Subclinical Cardiovascular Atherosclerotic Disease: An Analysis of Limitations to its Adoption With Policy Recommendations

This survey-based analysis aims to highlight key limitations to a wider adoption of coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring as a means of screening asymptomatic individuals for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The need for a screening tool that adds objective anatomical information to historically established risk scores in the aforementioned population has been met by this imaging modality. Despite that, there has been a hesitance towards frequent usage of these scans. Within the pre-set sampling frame of the University of Toledo, a convenience sampling technique was used to reach out to 60 health care providers. The resultant responses were analyzed and discussed. In addition to identifying patients who need to be worked up further, CAC scans can also help re-stratify patients within-risk groups and inform decision-making regarding the use of lipid-lowering therapies. The public health impact of a greater but appropriate utilization of this diagnostic tool will be impactful. This analysis seeks to better understand real-life obstacles to a wider adoption of these scans and attempts to lay out policy recommendations to address these issues.