Chest Pain Observation

Persons with chest pain can receive medical evaluation without being admitted into the hospital through a new Chest Pain Observation Unit at Genesis East Rushome Street. The unit is located in the Emergency Department, where patients are treated in a relaxed atmosphere and receive special monitoring and specialized lab tests in addition to other tests, as needed.

A typical scenario for a patient arriving at the Emergency Department with chest pain would have the patient immediately undergo an EKG and lab test to determine whether they are having a heart attack. If the patient is not having a heart attack, a physical exam and history is conducted to determine if the chest pain could be cardiac-related. If it's determined the pain is cardiac-related, the patient is evaluated further using special monitoring equipment, specialized serial lab tests and possibly other tests.

It is hoped that by following this procedure, the patient can be told sooner why he or she is having chest pain and can be saved the expense of being admitted to the hospital. The Chest Pain Observation Unit has six beds.