Many older adults (65+) present to the Emergency Department (ED) with chest pain, but do not have otherwise clear clinical indication of whether they should be admitted or discharged. This uncertainty leads to decisions that are highly variable-in addition to already being costly-which could have adverse consequences, since older adults are particularly vulnerable from hospitalization.
The objective of this study from HIP Investigators Dr. Brian Patterson and Dr. Maureen Smith was to determine whether admitting versus discharging an older adult presenting to the ED with chest pain reduces risk of mortality and readmission. The findings suggest ED admission may prevent readmission at the cost of increasing mortality risk for older chest pain patients, especially those with comorbidity.
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