Rapid outpatient evaluation for emergency department patients with intermediate risk chest pain safely reduces admissions

Abstract

Objective

This study aims to assess the safety of an outpatient chest pain pathway (OCPP) for patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain and a HEART score of 4 or 5.

Methods

This is a retrospective, observational, non-inferiority study assessing the impact of the OCPP on the management and outcomes of ED patients with HEART score of 4 or 5. The study compared patients evaluated in the pre-OCPP (January‒May 2018) and the post-OCPP period (January‒October 2022). Data were collected via non-blinded chart review. The primary outcome was the rate of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and death in patients utilizing the OCPP compared to patients with HEART score 4 or 5 in 2018. Secondary outcomes included admission rates before and after the implementation of this pathway. Non-inferiority of the post-intervention study epoch for the AMI/death composite outcome was assessed via the two one-sided tests (TOST), procedure.

Results

After implementing the OCPP, rates of patients with ED HEART score of 4 or 5 admitted from the ED decreased from 85.1% (605/711) to 74.1% (1239/1671) in 2022. Of the 432 total patients discharged in 2022, 237 (54.6%) patients were referred to emergent cardiology follow-up via the OCPP. The 30-day rate of AMI/death for patients discharged via the OCPP was 0.4% (1/237), as compared to 2.2% (8/368) in 2018. When compared to rates of AMI/death for all patients with HEART score 4 or 5 in 2018, outcomes for OCPP patients were found to be non-inferior.

Conclusion

The OCPP resulted in non-inferior rates of AMI/death in patients with HEART scores of 4 or 5 as compared to usual care.