Journal of general internal medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Impact of the acute cardiac ischemia time-insensitive predictive instrument (ACI-TIPI) on the speed of triage decision making for emergency department patients presenting with chest pain: a controlled clinical trial.
Emergency department (ED) triage for acute cardiac ischemia in the primary teaching hospital in Geneva, Switzerland, is very accurate, but at the cost of very long ED stays. Thus, the authors sought: 1) to determine the impact of the acute cardiac ischemia time-insensitive predictive instrument (ACI-TIPI), incorporated into a computerized electrocardiograph, on length of stay and speed of triage decision making for ED patients presenting with symptoms suggesting acute cardiac ischemia, and 2) to study the ACI-TIPI's impact on physicians of different training levels. ⋯ For ED patients with acute cardiac ischemia evaluated by novice clinicians, the ACI-TIPI substantially speeded ED decision making and triage. The suggestion of an impact on different cardiac ischemia subgroups and mortality deserves further larger clinical trials.