Annals of emergency medicine
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Prospective multicenter study of quantitative pretest probability assessment to exclude acute coronary syndrome for patients evaluated in emergency department chest pain units.
We compare the diagnostic accuracy of 3 methods--attribute matching, physician's written unstructured estimate, and a logistic regression formula (Acute Coronary Insufficiency-Time Insensitive Predictive Instrument, ACI-TIPI)--of estimating a very low pretest probability (< or = 2%) for acute coronary syndromes in emergency department (ED) patients evaluated in chest pain units. ⋯ In a low-risk ED population with symptoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome, patients with a quantitative pretest probability less than or equal to 2%, determined by attribute matching, unstructured estimate, or logistic regression, may not require additional diagnostic testing.
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We prospectively validate the San Francisco Syncope Rule (history of congestive heart failure, Hematocrit <30%, abnormal ECG result [new changes or non-sinus rhythm], complaint of shortness of breath, and systolic blood pressure <90 mm Hg during triage). ⋯ The San Francisco Syncope Rule performed with high sensitivity and specificity in this validation cohort and is a valuable tool to help risk stratify patients. It may help with physician decisionmaking and improve the use of hospital admission for syncope.
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The American Board of Emergency Medicine gathers extensive background information on emergency medicine residency training programs and the residents training in those programs. We present the ninth annual report on the status of US emergency medicine residency programs.