Cardiac CT angiography in the emergency department.
Publication/Presentation Date
3-1-2015
Abstract
OBJECTIVE. Nearly 8 million patients present annually to emergency departments (EDs) in the United States with acute chest pain. Identifying those with a sufficiently low risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains challenging. Early imaging is important for risk stratification of these individuals. The objective of this article is to discuss the role of cardiac CT angiography (CTA) as a safe, efficient, and cost-effective tool in this setting and review state-of-the-art technology, protocols, advantages, and limitations from the perspective of our institution's 10-year experience. CONCLUSION. Early utilization of cardiac CTA in patients presenting to the ED with chest pain and a low to intermediate risk of ACS quickly identifies a group of particularly low-risk patients (< 1% risk of adverse events within 30 days) and allows safe and expedited discharge. By preventing unnecessary admissions and prolonged lengths of stay, a strategy based on early cardiac CTA has been shown to be efficient, although potential overutilization and other issues require long-term study.
Volume
204
Issue
3
First Page
463
Last Page
474
ISSN
1546-3141
Published In/Presented At
Galperin-Aizenberg, M., Cook, T. S., Hollander, J. E., & Litt, H. I. (2015). Cardiac CT angiography in the emergency department. AJR. American journal of roentgenology, 204(3), 463–474. https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.14.12657
Disciplines
Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Health and Medical Administration | Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods
PubMedID
25714275
Department(s)
Administration and Leadership
Document Type
Article