Comparative studies of chest pain observation units (CPOUs)
| First author | Subjects | Allocation to treatment | Controls | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Compared costs with both randomised and historical controls but only randomised controls had outcome data collected. | ||||
| MI = myocardial infarction. | ||||
| Farkouh17 | Intermediate risk of myocardial ischaemia | Randomised | “Usual care”: monitored cardiology bed | No significant difference for in-hospital, 30 day or 6 month event rate. No significant difference for return visits |
| Roberts18 | Low risk of MI (<7%) but admission planned | Randomised | Inpatient telemetry unit | At 8 weeks: no deaths, no significant difference in rehospitalization (6.1% v 4.5%), fewer indeterminate diagnoses in CPOU group (13% v 45%) |
| Gomez*19 | Low risk of MI (<7%) but admission planned | Randomised | Routine care: hospital admission | No death, MI or coronary artery disease in either group at 30/7. 6% of CPOU group re-presented, 7% of admitted group required further investigation |
| Gaspoz20 | Low risk of MI with anticipated stay <48 hours | Non-randomised | Contemporaneous, eligible for CPOU but either discharged or admitted to hospital | No significant difference in complications, MI or death at 72 hours or 6 months |
| Kerns21 | Atypical chest pain, low risk of ischaemia | Non-randomised | Contemporaneous, eligible for CPOU but admitted to hospital | No death, MI or coronary artery disease at 3 or 6 months in either group |