Who should be admitted to the chest pain observation unit?: one urban hospital experience.
BACKGROUND
Patients at low risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) can be safely treated in the chest pain observation unit (CPOU). The goal of the study is to identify the differences in risk profiles of patients with positive and negative workup.


METHODS
The study is a retrospective CPOU chart review conducted over 6 months. Data collected included gender, age, race, history of diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, family history of CAD, smoking, test results, and disposition. SPSS-12 program was used to analyze the differences in patient's characteristics.


RESULTS
Two hundred forty-three patients were admitted to CPOU, 86% completed their workup, and 82% were discharged. Twenty-four (10%) patients had positive stress test, of whom 13 (54%) had > or =3 risk factors.


CONCLUSIONS
It is practical to admit patients to the CPOU. The study has shown that "ideal" patients for CPOU are those with < or =2 risk factors for CAD.
Purim-Shem-Tov
Yanina A
YA
Emergency Department, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA. yanina_purim-shem-tov@rush.edu
Silva
Julio C
JC
Rumoro
Dino P
DP
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000628:therapy*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors