Table 1 Baseline characteristics of study population.
| Patient characteristics | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%) | |
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 54 (14.5) | 53 (13.5) |
| Race | ||
| African American | 897 (75) | 447 (55) |
| Caucasian | 273 (23) | 338 (41) |
| Asian | 22 (2) | 19 (2) |
| Hispanic | 7 (0.6) | 9 (1) |
| Chest pain onset (min) | 240 | 192 |
| Chest pain duration (min) | 120 | 90 |
| Cardiac risk factors | ||
| Hypertension | 666 (55) | 470 (58) |
| Diabetes | 256 (21) | 172 (21) |
| Elevated cholesterol | 301 (25) | 174 (21) |
| Family history of CAD | 195 (16) | 112 (14) |
| Tobacco use | 412 (34) | 357 (44) |
| Past medical history | ||
| Coronary artery disease | 215 (18) | 210 (26) |
| Congestive heart failure | 144 (12) | 106 (13) |
| Angina | 166 (14) | 154 (19) |
| Myocardial infarction | 146 (12) | 141 (17) |
| Undiagnosed chest pain | 145 (12) | 73 (9) |
| Prior CABG | 42 (4) | 65 (8) |
| Prior stress testing | 331 (28) | 264 (32) |
| Abnormal findings | 43 (13) | 62 (24) |
| Prior cardiac catheterisation | 219 (18) | 207 (25) |
| Abnormal findings | 93 (43) | 110 (53) |
| TIMI risk factors | ||
| Age ⩾65 | 279 (23) | 155 (19) |
| Known coronary stenosis | 180 (15) | 202 (25) |
| Cardiac risk factors ⩾3 | 288 (24) | 250 (31) |
| ASA use in prior 7 days | 366 (30) | 313 (38) |
| Anginal events ⩾2 over past 24 h | 396 (33) | 256 (31) |
| ST segment deviation | 45 (4) | 64 (8) |
| Elevated cardiac markers | 55 (5) | 56 (7) |
| Initial ECG impression | ||
| Normal | 643 (53) | 373 (46) |
| Non‐specific | 345 (29) | 204 (25) |
| Early repolarisation | 9 (0.8) | 22 (3) |
| Abnormal, not diagnostic | 93 (8) | 84 (10) |
| Ischaemia, known to be old | 63 (5) | 57 (7) |
| Ischaemia not known to be old | 43 (4) | 49 (6) |
| Suggestive of myocardial infarction | 8 (0.7) | 27 (3) |
| Other ECG findings | ||
| ST segment elevation | 44 (4) | 70 (9) |
| Q waves | 62 (5) | 63 (8) |
| Left bundle branch block | 35 (3) | 21 (3) |
| Right bundle branch block | 32 (3) | 44 (5) |
| Initial ED diagnosis | ||
| AMI | 23 (2) | 30 (4) |
| Angina | 263 (22) | 237 (29) |
| Atypical chest pain | 446 (37) | 283 (35) |
| Non‐ischaemic chest pain | 467 (39) | 267 (33) |
AMI, acute myocardial infarction; ASA, acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin); CABG, coronary artery bypass graft surgery; CAD, coronary artery disease; ECG, electrocardiogram; ED, emergency department.
All values are reported as absolute number and percent frequency occurrence unless otherwise noted.