Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23620273›Full record

ArticleHigh blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention : the official journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension2013

The neglected role of the electrocardiogram in the diagnostic work-up of hypertensive patients: a study in clinical practice.

Cesare Cuspidi, Annalisa Re, Raffaella Dell'oro, Guido Grassi, Carla Sala

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Article in High blood pressure & cardiovascular prevention : the official journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 41% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Cesare CuspidiDepartment of Health Science, University of Milan, Bicocca, Milan, Italy. cesare.cuspidi@unimib.it
Annalisa Re
Raffaella Dell'oro
Guido Grassi
Carla Sala
University of Milano-Bicocca · ITUniversity of Milan · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe electrocardiogram (ECG) is listed among the routine diagnostic examinations for hypertensive patients according to international guidelines.

objectiveThe aim of this survey was to investigate whether an ECG is routinely prescribed before an echocardiographic examination by general practitioners for the evaluation of subclinical cardiac damage in uncomplicated hypertensive patients in a suburban area of Italy.

methodsA total of 60 consecutive hypertensive patients (45% men, mean age 60 ± 14 years) referred to a single out-patient cardiology service by their general practitioners for the assessment of cardiac organ damage by echocardiography were enrolled in the study. Patients' demographic data and medical history were collected at the echocardiographic laboratory on a questionnaire administered by the attending physician.

resultsLess than 40% of the study sample had undergone an ECG during the 12-month period preceding the echocardiographic examination. Notably, only 60% of newly diagnosed hypertensive patents had an ECG done after the discovery of their hypertensive status.

conclusionsThese findings show that an ECG is not routinely prescribed as a first-line examination in the assessment of cardiac organ damage related to hypertension by a large fraction of general practitioners in current clinical practice in a northern area of Italy. This contrasts with available evidence that the combined assessment of left ventricular hypertrophy by ECG and echocardiogram provides the best evaluation of cardiac damage and stratification of cardiovascular risk in hypertension.

Indexed as

Blood PressureElectrocardiographyAgedAmbulatory CareEchocardiography, DopplerFemaleGeneral PracticeHealth Care SurveysHumansHypertensionHypertrophy, Left VentricularItalyMaleMiddle AgedPredictive Value of TestsReferral and Consultation

Identifiers

PMID23620273
OpenAlexW1489352348

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.