Treatment needs of patients admitted for acute chest pain

Objective: To examine the characteristics, subsequent resource use and outcome of a consecutive cohort of admissions with acute chest pain not due to myocardial infarction. Methods: Subjects (n=356) identified in the course of a epidemiological study of myocardial infarction were interviewed and completed HAD, SF-36 and other self-report information in hospital and at 3 months and 1 year. Hospital casenotes were reviewed at 1 year. Results: A total of 218 subjects were given cardiac diagnoses and 138 noncardiac diagnoses. Cardiac subjects were more distressed and disabled and used more resources. Those in the noncardiac group reported distress and disability and resource use comparable to infarct admissions. Conclusion: Awareness of psychosocial variables would aid in the assessment and management of those with and without ischaemic heart disease