Description

Current care patterns for the 7 million patients visiting Emergency Departments (EDs) in the United States with chest pain are heterogeneous and not sustainable from a healthcare quality or economic perspective. Chest pain is the second most common cause of ED visits and the most common reason for short-stay hospitalizations. During these hospitalizations patients undergo in-depth evaluations (stress testing, computed tomography coronary angiography, or invasive angiography), but ultimately <10% are diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). These evaluations cost $3 billion annually and strain health system resources without clear evidence of improved health outcomes or patient experience. The preliminary data suggest that moderate risk patients (35% of patients with chest pain) can be safely managed as outpatients using a cardiovascular ambulatory rapid evaluation (CARE-CP) strategy as an alternative to hospitalization. In the CARE-CP strategy, patients are discharged from the ED and receive outpatient clinic follow-up within 72 hours focused on medical management for cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., hypertension, diabetes) and determining whether further cardiac testing is needed. This strategy aims to enhance patient-centered outcomes while safely and equitably decreasing hospital resource utilization. However, equipoise exists between outpatient and hospitalization strategies for moderate risk patients. There is a paucity of prospective data evaluating the efficacy and patient-centeredness of outpatient chest pain evaluation strategies in moderate risk patients. Thus, it is unclear whether use of an outpatient chest pain management strategy (CARE-CP) will safely reduce healthcare utilization and be preferred by patients compared to a traditional hospitalization strategy. To address this key evidence gap, the study proposes the first prospective multisite randomized trial testing outpatient vs hospitalization strategies in moderate risk patients. The research teams will randomize 502 patients 1:1 to the CARE-CP or hospitalization management arms at three ED sites with a history of high recruitment rates and productive collaborations in cardiovascular clinical trials. The primary outcome will be hospital-free days (HFD) over a 30-day period. This novel trial addresses a key evidence gap by providing guidance on how best to evaluate moderate risk ED patients with acute chest pain. Without this guidance care patterns are likely to remain heterogeneous, inefficient, non-patient-centered, and unguided by the highest level of evidence. We hypothesize that data from this trial will support widespread implementation of a CARE-CP strategy, which could improve the quality and value of care for millions of patients in the U.S. and beyond.