Clinical features in the emergency department can identify patients with suspected acute coronary syndromes who are safe for care in unmonitored hospital beds

Abstract

Background: Standard practice for patients requiring hospital admission with suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is admission to a monitored cardiology bed. The Western Hospital Chest Pain Protocol was developed to identify a subset of these patients who could be safely managed in an unmonitored bed. Aim: The objective of this prospective study of chest pain patients classified as 'high' or 'intermediate' risk by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research/ National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines was to further evaluate the safety of this protocol. Methods: This study was a prospective, observational, cohort study investigating the outcomes of patients admitted to hos..