Emergency Department Cardiopulmonary Evaluation of Low-Risk Chest Pain Patients with Self-Reported Stress and Anxiety

Abstract Background Chest pain is a high-risk emergency department (ED) chief complaint; the majority of clinical resources are directed toward detecting and treating cardiopulmonary emergencies. However, at follow-up, 80%–95% of these patients have only a symptom-based diagnosis; a large number have undiagnosed anxiety disorders. Objective Our aim was to measure the frequency of self-identified stress or anxiety among chest pain patients, and compare their pretest probabilities, care processes, and outcomes. Methods Patients were divided into two groups: explicitly self-reported anxiety and stress or not at 90-day follow-up, then compared on several variables: ultralow (