Risk Scores for Patients with Chest Pain: Evaluation in the Emergency Department
2011

Risk Scores for Patients with Chest Pain in the Emergency Department

Sample size: 122 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Backus B.E, Six A.J, Kelder J.H, Gibler W.B, Moll F.L, Doevendans P.A

Primary Institution: Unversitair Medisch Centrum Utrecht, The Netherlands

Hypothesis

Can the HEART score effectively stratify chest pain patients in the emergency department?

Conclusion

The HEART score is a strong predictor of event-free survival and potentially life-threatening cardiac events in chest pain patients.

Supporting Evidence

  • The HEART score was validated in a multicenter retrospective study with 880 patients.
  • Event rates increased significantly with increasing HEART scores.
  • The HEART score divides patients into low, intermediate, and high-risk groups.

Takeaway

Doctors can use the HEART score to quickly decide if chest pain patients need to stay in the hospital or can go home safely.

Methodology

The HEART score was validated in a retrospective multicenter study.

Potential Biases

The study may have biases due to the retrospective nature of the validation.

Limitations

The HEART score may not be applicable to all chest pain patients as it was developed based on expert opinion rather than multivariate regression analysis.

Participant Demographics

Patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain.

Statistical Information

P-Value

0.90

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.2174/157340311795677662

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