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  • Title: A clinical prediction rule for early discharge of patients with chest pain.
    Author: Christenson J, Innes G, McKnight D, Thompson CR, Wong H, Yu E, Boychuk B, Grafstein E, Rosenberg F, Gin K, Anis A, Singer J.
    Journal: Ann Emerg Med; 2006 Jan; 47(1):1-10. PubMed ID: 16387209.
    Abstract:
    STUDY OBJECTIVE: Current risk stratification tools do not identify very-low-risk patients who can be safely discharged without prolonged emergency department (ED) observation, expensive rule-out protocols, or provocative testing. We seek to develop a clinical prediction rule applicable within 2 hours of ED arrival that would miss fewer than 2% of acute coronary syndrome patients and allow discharge within 2 to 3 hours for at least 30% of patients without acute coronary syndrome. METHODS: This prospective, cohort study enrolled consenting eligible subjects at least 25 years old at a single site. At 30 days, investigators assigned a diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome or no acute coronary syndrome according to predefined explicit definitions. A recursive partitioning model included risk factors, pain characteristics, physical and ECG findings, and cardiac marker results. RESULTS: Of 769 patients studied, 77 (10.0%) had acute myocardial infarction and 88 (11.4%) definite unstable angina. We derived a clinical prediction rule that was 98.8% sensitive and 32.5% specific. Patients have very low risk of acute coronary syndrome if they have a normal initial ECG, no previous ischemic chest pain, and age younger than 40 years. In addition, patients at least 40 years old and with a normal ECG result, no previous ischemic chest pain, and low-risk pain characteristics have very low risk if they have an initial creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) less than 3.0 microg/L or an initial CK-MB greater than or equal to 3.0 microg/L but no ECG or serum-marker increase at 2 hours. CONCLUSION: The Vancouver Chest Pain Rule for early discharge defines a group of patients who can be safely discharged after a brief evaluation in the ED. Prospective validation is needed.
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