A clinical prediction rule for early discharge of patients with chest pain

Ann Emerg Med. 2006 Jan;47(1):1-10. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2005.08.007. Epub 2005 Oct 19.

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.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Algorithms
  • Angina, Unstable / diagnosis
  • Chest Pain / diagnosis*
  • Chest Pain / etiology
  • Cohort Studies
  • Decision Support Techniques*
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Emergency Medicine / methods*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / complications
  • Myocardial Infarction / diagnosis
  • Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care
  • Patient Discharge*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Prospective Studies
  • Risk Assessment / methods
  • Risk Factors