Clinically relevant adverse cardiovascular events in intermediate heart score patients admitted to the hospital following a negative emergency department evaluation

Abstract

Study hypothesis: Study objective: To estimate the frequency of clinically relevant adverse cardiac events (CRACE) in patients admitted to the hospital for chest pain with an intermediate HEART score (4, 5, 6), non-diagnostic EKG, and a negative initial troponin.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) from May 2016 to May 2019 with an intermediate HEART score (4, 5, or 6), a non-diagnostic EKG, and a negative initial troponin. Our primary outcome was the rate of inpatient clinically relevant adverse cardiac events (CRACE), composite of life-threatening dysrhythmia, inpatient STEMI, cardiac or respiratory arrest, and all-cause mortality during hospitalization.

Results: A total of 1118 patients met our inclusion criteria, 6 of whom had CRACE. Overall the rate of CRACE was 0.5% (95% CI, 0.2-1.2%). Six patients (0.5%, 95% CI, 0.2%-1.2%) experienced inpatient NSTEMIs, 212 patients (19%, 95% CI, 17-21%) underwent provocative testing during their inpatient stay, 5 patients received a stent or CABG, and 5 patients had false positive non-invasive testing and underwent a negative cardiac catheterization.

Conclusions: In this cohort of admitted patients with a documented intermediate-risk HEART score, nonischemic EKG, and negative initial troponin, the occurrence of CRACE during the index hospitalization was 0.5%.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; The HEART score.