Comparison of presenting features, diagnostic tools, hospital outcomes, and quality of care indicators in older (>65 years) to younger, men to women, and diabetics to nondiabetics with acute chest pain triaged in the emergency department

In a total of 4,843 consecutive patients admitted to an emergency department (ED) with acute chest pain over a 1-year period, presenting features, diagnostic tools, hospital outcomes, and quality-of-care indicators were compared between older (n = 1,781) and younger (n = 3,062) patients, men (n = 3,095) and women (n = 1,748), and diabetics (n = 856) and nondiabetics (n = 3,987). The results showed that after critical pathway implementation, there was an increase in the use of evidence-based treatment strategies in the ED and improved outcomes in older patients, women, and diabetics, with no more differences in the length of ED stay, diagnostic accuracy for myocardial infarction in the ED, door-to-thrombolysis time, and door-to-balloon time compared with younger patients, men, and nondiabetics.