title: The role of radionuclide imaging in the triage of patients with chest pain in the emergency department.
abstract: The triage of patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain and a normal or nondiagnostic ECG poses a significant diagnostic challenge to emergency physicians and cardiologists, leading to unnecessary hospital admissions and substantial associated costs. Radionuclide myocardial perfusion imaging can potentially play an important role in this setting, by providing both a safe and efficient means to risk stratify patients with a low-to-moderate likelihood of unstable angina. The proposed algorithm may serve as a strategy to improve utilization of hospital resources while safely identifying the subgroup of patients with acute chest discomfort who do not need to be admitted to the hospital.
authors.affiliation: Yale University School of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Abbott
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Wackers
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000191:economics; D017046:Cost Savings; D004452:Echocardiography; D004630:Emergencies; D006801:Humans; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000191:economics; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000191:economics; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014218:Triage / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers