Journal of emergency nursing : JEN : official publication of the Emergency Department Nurses Association
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Lack of Significant Coronary History and ECG Misinterpretation are the Strongest Predictors of Undertriage in Prehospital Chest Pain.
Appropriate prehospital (PH) triage of patients with chest pain can significantly improve outcomes in acute myocardial infarction (MI). We sought to explore how PH providers triage chest pain as high versus low risk and to evaluate the accuracy and predictors of their triage decision. ⋯ PH providers have moderate sensitivity in triaging high-risk patients; 1 in 3 MI events are undertriaged. Emergency nurses need to pay special attention to patients with benign past histories during transition of care and should always reinterpret ECGs for subtle ischemic changes.