Improving triage of patients with chest pain

Fitzpatrick, M Andrew

doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05248.x

Topics

Formal risk-based protocols and clinical audits of process indicators and outcomes are needed

"Missed" myocardial infarction occurs when a patient with an unrecognised acute coronary syndrome is discharged from hospital prematurely. The correct diagnosis becomes apparent only when the patient has an infarct or cardiac arrest, or is later found to have biochemical evidence of myocardial injury. There has been a paradigm shift in management of patients with chest pain over the past decade, with the focus moving from establishing a diagnosis towards ensuring the safety of the management strategy. This change was heralded by the publication of Australian guidelines in 1996 that recommended:

Department of Cardiology, Nepean Hospital, Penrith, NSW.

Correspondence:

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