Critical pathways in cardiology
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Nearly 40% of all previously admitted chest pain patients re-present to the emergency department (ED) within 1 year regardless of stress testing, and nearly 5% of patients return with a major adverse cardiac event (MACE). The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of return visits to the ED among patients previously admitted to an ED chest pain observation unit (CPU). We also identified the patient characteristics and health risk factors associated with these return ED visits. ⋯ Patients treated in an ED CPU have a very low rate of MACE at 1 year. However, these same patients have very high rates of subsequent ED utilization. The associations between certain comparative demographics and ED utilization suggest the need for further research to identify and address the needs of these patient populations that precipitate the higher than expected return rate.