Table 2

List of variables to be prospectively collected from the physical examination and diagnostic tests.

Variables to be Collected

Physical Examination

• Temperature (degrees Celsius)

• Heart rate (beats per minute)

• Systolic blood pressure (mm of Hg)

• Diastolic blood pressure (mm of Hg)

• Cardiac auscultation findings (S3, S4, Systolic murmur, diastolic murmur)

• Lung auscultation findings (crackles/rales at bases, crackles/rales to scapulae, wheezes)

• Chest wall tenderness (reproducing presenting symptom)

• Pitting edema in lower extremities

Diagnostic tests

• Intepretation of first readable ECG (normal, nonspecific ST-T wave changes, abnormal but not diagnostic of ischemia, infarction or ischemia known to be old, infarction or ischemia not known to be old, consistent with AMI (ST-elevation or new left bundle branch block)

• Cardiac stress test done

• If yes, type of stress test (nuclear, exercise, stress echo, other)

• If yes, result (positive for ischemia, negative for ischemia, equivocal)

• If equivocal, mild ischemia, moderate ischemia, or severe ischemia?

• Time and values of first and second cardiac troponin T

• Cardiac CT done?

• If yes, any stenosis ≥ 70%?

• Coronary angiography done?

• If yes, any stenosis ≥ 70%?

• Did the patient undergo revascularization?

• If yes, stent placement, angioplasty alone, or coronary artery bypass grafting?

Physician judgment

• Probability of unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction (to the closest percent)

Hess et al. BMC Emergency Medicine 2008 8:3   doi:10.1186/1471-227X-8-3