Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42534292›Full record

ArticleReviews in cardiovascular medicine2026

Cost Impact of a Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography-Based Diagnostic Pathway for Low-Risk Chest Pain in the Emergency Department.

Ryan Karlsson, Michael Cronin, Niall Sheehy, Geraldine McMahon, Ross T Murphy, Caroline Daly

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Reviews in cardiovascular medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Ryan KarlssonDepartment of Cardiology, St James's Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4309-2811
Michael CroninDepartment of Cardiology, St James's Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland.
Niall SheehyDepartment of Radiology, St James's Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland.
Geraldine McMahonDepartment of Emergency Medicine, St James's Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland.
Ross T MurphyDepartment of Cardiology, St James's Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland.
Caroline DalyDepartment of Cardiology, St James's Hospital, D08 NHY1 Dublin, Ireland.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Emergency chest pain presentations represent a substantial burden on healthcare resources. The use of coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) has been shown to be safe and associated with reduced costs in stable outpatients referred for invasive coronary angiography (ICA). The history, electrocardiogram, age, risk factors, troponin (HEART) risk assessment score is used to risk-stratify patients with undifferentiated chest pain. We sought to evaluate the cost impact of an accelerated outpatient CCTA-based diagnostic pathway compared with inpatient ICA for the investigation of patients presenting acutely to the emergency department (ED) with symptoms suggestive of coronary artery disease (CAD) at a tertiary referral centre. Methods: We performed a comparative cost analysis based on retrospective observational data including stable adult ED patients who presented in 2023. Results: 369 patients underwent outpatient CCTA and 376 were admitted for ICA. The median time to outpatient CCTA was 14 days (interquartile range (IQR) 5-24). Use of the CCTA-based pathway was associated with a 78% reduction in diagnostic pathway costs (€2990 per patient), when compared to admission for ICA, for the investigation of lower-risk individuals, with no increase in 30-day mortality or myocardial infarction. Patients referred for outpatient CCTA had a significantly shorter median length-of-stay compared with those admitted for ICA (6.5 hours (IQR 5.0-9.0) vs. 5 days (IQR 3.0-14.9); Conclusions: Use of an accelerated outpatient CCTA-based diagnostic pathway for low-risk chest pain patients in the ED was associated with substantial cost savings and reduced hospital utilization without evidence of compromised short-term safety.

Indexed as

coronary artery diseasecoronary computed tomography angiographycost analysisdiagnostic pathwayemergency department chest painnon-invasive cardiac imaging

Identifiers

PMID42534292
PMCPMC13419946

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.