The Seattle Angina Questionnaire and Quality of Life in Chronic Coronary Syndrome: Opportunities for Implementation in Bulgarian Clinical Practice-A Narrative Review.

Background

Patient-reported outcomes are integral to chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) care. The Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) is validated and prognostic, yet its clinical integration in Bulgaria is undefined. Aim: The aim of this study was to provide a structured, clinically oriented framework for integrating the SAQ into the full CCS care pathway-from screening and phenotyping (obstructive vs. ANOCA/INOCA endotypes) to diagnostics, mechanism-tailored therapy, and follow-up-while outlining a pragmatic roadmap for Bulgarian implementation.

Methods

We conducted a semi-structured narrative review (1995-2024) of SAQ's validation, prognostic utility, and implementation in the literature, augmented with guideline-based frameworks for CCS/ANOCA care.

Results

The SAQ (and SAQ-7) shows strong reliability and responsiveness and independently predicts health status and clinical outcomes. Embedding the SAQ at baseline, at 4-12 weeks after therapy changes, and after 6-12 months enables symptom-guided decision-making. A phenotype-guided pathway is proposed that couples the SAQ with CAD burden assessment and-where indicated-ANOCA diagnostics (CFR/IMR, vasoreactivity testing). Mechanism-tailored therapy maps to endotypes (e.g., VSA → CCB ± nitrates; MVA → beta-blocker/ACEi/statin ± ranolazine; obstructive CADGDMT ± PCI/CABG). A minimum dataset, metrics, and registry fields are specified for Bulgarian deployment.

Conclusions

A clinically structured framework clarifies how the SAQ adds value beyond description-by informing triage, treatment selection, and follow-up across CCS phenotypes. This approach provides educational guidance and a practical blueprint for pilot implementation in Bulgaria.