• F P Sarasin, J M Reymond, J L Griffith, J R Beshansky, J A Schifferli, P F Unger, J R Scherrer, and H P Selker.
• Division of Internal Medicine, Hospital Cantonal Universitaire, Geneva, Switzerland.
• J Gen Intern Med. 1994 Apr 1;9(4):187-94.

ObjectiveEmergency department (ED) triage for acute cardiac ischemia in the primary teaching hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, is very accurate, but at the cost of very long ED stays. Thus, the authors sought: 1) to determine the impact of the acute cardiac ischemia time-insensitive predictive instrument (ACI-TIPI), incorporated into a computerized electrocardiograph, on length of stay and speed of triage decision making for ED patients presenting with symptoms suggesting acute cardiac ischemia, and 2) to study the ACI-TIPI's impact on physicians of different training levels.DesignA seven-month prospective clinical trial with alternating-month experimental and control periods.SettingAn urban major teaching hospital in Geneva, Switzerland.ParticipantsPatients over the age of 18 years presenting to the ED with chest pain or other symptoms suggesting acute cardiac ischemia (acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina pectoris). Emergency department physicians, classified as novice (those in their first ED rotations) and experienced (those in their second or later ED rotations). Patients staying overnight in the ED (n = 111) were excluded from the analysis.InterventionDuring the experimental months, the computerized electrocardiograph printed the ACI-TIPI probability of acute cardiac ischemia at the top of each subject's electrocardiogram. During control months, the probability was not provided.Measurements And Main ResultsAmong the 418 study subjects, for patients with acute ischemia seen by novice clinicians, the use of the ACI-TIPI decreased ED time from presentation to triage decision and ED release by 0.7 hour (19%) (p = 0.007). Subgroup analyses for patients with acute myocardial infarction, patients with unstable angina pectoris, and patients given thrombolytic therapy also showed analogous decreases in ED time consistent with this finding. Other key determinants of ED length of stay included: age, whether the coronary care unit was full, whether patients received thrombolytic therapy, and whether admission was during the night shift. The experimental and control groups did not differ in triage disposition appropriateness or mortality.ConclusionsFor ED patients with acute cardiac ischemia evaluated by novice clinicians, the ACI-TIPI substantially speeded ED decision making and triage. The suggestion of an impact on different cardiac ischemia subgroups and mortality deserves further larger clinical trials.

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