Critical pathways in cardiology
-
Patients who have undergone intracoronary stent implantation often require surgery within the first year after the procedure. Planned or emergent surgical intervention requires interruption of antiplatelet therapy and is associated with an increased risk of stent thrombosis. Eptifibatide, an intravenous glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (GPIIb/IIIa), can be considered for antiplatelet bridging of high-risk patients in the periprocedural period. ⋯ Within a limited sample size, bridging with an intravenous GPIIb/IIIa inhibitor appeared feasible. Further study is needed on the optimal strategy to manage patients with recent stenting who need surgical procedures.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Chest Pain Risk Stratification: A Comparison of the 2-Hour Accelerated Diagnostic Protocol (ADAPT) and the HEART Pathway.
The 2-hour accelerated diagnostic protocol (ADAPT) and the history electrocardiogram age risk factors troponin (HEART) Pathway are decision aids designed to identify Emergency Department (ED) patients with chest pain who are safe for early discharge. Both have demonstrated high sensitivity (>99%) for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 30 days and early discharge rates ≥20%. The objective of this study is to compare the sensitivity and early discharge rates of the ADAPT and HEART Pathway decision aids in a cohort of ED patients with acute chest pain. ⋯ Within a cohort of ED patients with acute chest pain, ADAPT and the HEART pathway had high sensitivity for MACE. The HEART pathway outperformed ADAPT by correctly identifying more patients as low risk and safe for early discharge.
-
To assess the clinical and electrocardiographic characteristics of patients diagnosed with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) that are associated with an increased likelihood of not undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after prehospital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory activation in a regional STEMI system. ⋯ Several of the above variables are expected electrocardiogram mimics; however, the decreased rate of PCI in non-white patients highlights an area for investigation and process improvement. This may guide the development of prehospital STEMI protocols, although avoiding false positive and inappropriate activations.
-
Observation units are dedicated areas in the hospital to deliver care to patients in observation status-those too risky to be immediately discharged following an emergency department evaluation but also clearly not in need of an inpatient admission. Observation units have been commonplace for several decades but in recent years some hospitals have begun to operate an additional observation unit with a distinct care delivery model and patient population. ⋯ Second level observation units are still relatively uncommon but are emerging as an extension of hospital-based observation services as an additional resource to cohort observation patients into a dedicated unit. These units share some similarities with traditional OUs, such as the nursing ratio of approximately 4:1 and the preponderance of chest pain pathways; however, they also differ in important ways around key metrics, such as length of stay, attending staffing coverage, and rate of subsequent inpatient admission. Additional study is needed both to fully characterize these units and their potential benefits.
-
The Emergency Department Assessment of Chest pain Score-Accelerated Diagnostic Protocol (EDACS-ADP) is a decision aid designed to safely identify emergency department (ED) patients with chest pain for early discharge. Derivation and validation studies in Australasia have demonstrated high sensitivity (99%-100%) for major adverse cardiac events (MACE). ⋯ Within a US cohort of ED patients with symptoms concerning for ACS, sensitivity for MACE was 88.2%. We are unable to validate the EDACS-ADP as sufficiently sensitive for clinical use.