AI Insight
Emergency department overcrowding and access block have emerged as critical patient-safety issues in acute hospitals worldwide, with measurable harm occurring in a dose-dependent manner beyond approximately 5 hours of stay. Patients presenting with possible myocardial infarction represent a substantial portion of emergency department visits, with chest pain being the second most common reason for adult emergency department attendance in the USA, accounting for roughly 8 million annual encounters or 5.5% of all visits. This commentary discusses the need for improved acute coronary syndrome assessment strategies despite advances in troponin testing.
Why it matters
Optimizing the assessment and management of patients with possible acute coronary syndrome could significantly reduce emergency department overcrowding and improve patient safety. Addressing this high-volume patient population represents a potentially modifiable factor in healthcare system efficiency and patient outcomes.
Understand the Science
Emergency department overcrowding and access block are now among the most consequential patient-safety problems facing acute hospitals globally.1 The associated harm is measurable, dose-dependent, and has no clearly safe threshold beyond approximately 5 h.2 Patients presenting with possible myocardial infarction constitute a large and possibly modifiable share of the emergency department burden. Chest pain is the second most common reason for adult emergency department attendance in the USA, accounting for approximately 8 million encounters annually and around 5·5% of all emergency department visits.