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A new chest pain strategy in Thunder Bay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2015

David Mutrie
David Mutrie*
Affiliation:
Thunder Bay Regional Hospital, Thunder Bay, Ont.

Summary:

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Thunder Bay Regional Hospital (TBRH) developed a chest pain strategy (CPS) to support its emergency physicians in making the difficult clinical decisions required to properly evaluate and manage ED “chest pain” patients. This strategy was developed to ensure excellent patient care in a setting of diminished inpatient bed availability and increasing ED congestion. It focuses on rapid risk stratification, using history, electrocardiogram, physical examination and 3 new point-of-care cardiac markers: myoglobin, CK-MB mass, and cardiac troponin I.

Following the introduction of the CPS in 1997, TBRH realized significant ($500 000/yr) institutional resource savings through a 60% decrease in the admission rate of non-myocardial infarction, non-unstable angina chest pain patients, a 30% decrease in ED chest pain evaluation time, and improved ED availability of monitored stretchers. The CPS has allowed TBRH to simultaneously decrease costs and improve patient care.

Type
Controversies • Controverses
Information
Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , April 1999 , pp. 57 - 61
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians 1999

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