TY - JOUR T1 - A rapid access cardiology service for chest pain, heart failure and arrhythmias accurately diagnoses cardiac disease and identifies patients at high risk: a prospective cohort study JF - Heart JO - Heart SP - 1084 LP - 1090 DO - 10.1136/hrt.2005.079376 VL - 92 IS - 8 AU - J N Tenkorang AU - K F Fox AU - T J Collier AU - D A Wood Y1 - 2006/08/01 UR - http://heart.bmj.com/content/92/8/1084.abstract N2 - Objective: To conduct a one year follow up study of patients seen in a combined rapid access chest pain, arrhythmia and heart failure clinic. Methods: Local general practitioners, accident and emergency department clinicians and other hospital clinicians were invited to refer patients with a new presentation of chest pain, palpitations and suspected cardiac-induced breathlessness to the rapid access cardiology clinics at Charing Cross Hospital, London, on a one-stop, no appointment basis. Consent to be followed up by a postal questionnaire one year later was sought from all patients attending between 1 November 2002 and 31 October 2003. Results: 1223 patients were seen in the 12 month study period. 940 (77%) consented to one year follow up. 216 (23%) patients had a diagnosis of definite cardiac, 621 (66%) of not cardiac and 103 of possible cardiac disease (11%). 98% of patients diagnosed “not cardiac” did not receive a diagnosis of cardiac disease over the following 12 months. Of patients with diagnosed definite cardiac disease, one year cardiac mortality was 7 of 216 (3%), compared with an age- and sex-matched expected cardiac mortality of 0.9% (standardised mortality ratio 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4 to 7.2). For patients with an initial diagnosis of possible or not cardiac disease, cardiac mortality at one year was 0.3% compared with an expected cardiac mortality of 0.4% (standardised mortality ratio 0.8, 95% CI 0.1 to 2.8). Conclusions: A rapid access cardiology clinic accurately diagnoses and risk stratifies patients into those with cardiac disease at high risk of cardiac death and those without significant cardiac disease. ER -