CARDIAC SPECT IMAGING PREVENTED UNNECESSARY ADMISSION OF 48% Of PATIENTS
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
CARDIAC SPECT IMAGING PREVENTED UNNECESSARY ADMISSION OF 48% Of PATIENTS who arrived at an emergency center with unexplained chest pain, according to a study conducted by Ian Weissman, DO, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor, et al. The 50- patient study was designed to assess the cost effectiveness of imaging chest pain patients with single photon emission computed tomography in the emergency room. The researchers found that following SPECT imaging, 24 patients who would have been admitted to the hospital based on conventional assessments by cardiologists were instead sent home, saving an estimated $80,000 in hospital charges.