Missed diagnoses of acute cardiac ischemia in the emergency department.
Missed or delayed diagnosis of cardiovascular disease can lead to adverse patient outcomes. This analysis examined the occurrence of missed acute cardiac ischemia among over 10,000 patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) and enrolled in a large multicenter trial. Among patients ultimately diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina, approximately 2% were mistakenly discharged from the ED; these patients had a higher risk of death compared to patients who were hospitalized.