Short-Stay Unit Requirements

Abstract

Chest pain units (CPU) are specialized units in the acute care hospital that are designed and staffed to provide the highest quality, most cost efficient services to patients with chest pain. Patients are identified for evaluation and management in a CPU by cardiac risk stratification by the physician upon their presentation to the hospital. Those with low risk, negative cardiac biomarkers, and an EKG negative for acute findings are appropriate for the CPU. Monitoring requirements for patients in a CPU bed need to be at the level of those patients in a hospital intensive care unit, telemetry, or emergency department bed. Staffing requirements are similar to an emergency department or a hospital telemetry unit. With a properly structured and staffed CPU, the highest quality patient care and optimal outcome can be provided to the patient who presents to the physician with chest pain or chest pain equivalent and possible cardiac disease.