Noninvasive Testing in Emergency Department Patients with Low-Risk Chest Pain: Does the Evidence Support Current Guidelines?

Patients who present to the emergency department with chest pain but no evidence of ischemia on the electrocardiogram and negative cardiac markers are at very low risk. The newest American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines give noninvasive cardiac testing a IIa recommendation in this patient population. Here, we will review the existing literature that was cited in the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology document, as well as several large, contemporary, comparative observational studies which were not included to address the following question: Do the benefits of noninvasive cardiac testing in this patient population outweigh the risks?