Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) is the current go-to for triaging chest pain patients in the emergency department (ED), but a recent study found the often-overlooked stress echocardiography (SE) may actually be safer and provide patients with a better overall experience. In the study, published online June 13 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology : Cardiovascular Imaging, authors cited concerns with CTA related to radiation exposure, increased downstream resource use, and incidental findings complications despite its rapid increased use in the ED.
A team of New York researchers randomized 400 low-to intermediate-risk ED acute chest pain patients with no known history of coronary artery disease and a negative initial serum troponin level to immediate coronary CTA or SE. “In our busy urban ED setting, SE was safe and effective in chest pain triage compared…
