Diagnosis | NTS high urgency n=1208 (59.7%) | NTS low urgency n=815 (40.3%) | P value |
ACS | 171 (14.2) | 56 (5.6) | <0.001 |
STEMI | 51 (29.8) | 16 (28.6) | 0.858 |
NSTEMI | 71 (41.5) | 22 (39.3) | 0.768 |
UAP | 38 (22.2) | 14 (25.0) | 0.668 |
Non-classified ACS | 11 (6.4) | 4 (7.1) | 0.853 |
Other life threatening events (LTEs) | 38 (3.1) | 20 (2.5) | 0.361 |
Pulmonary embolism | 6 (15.8) | 7 (35.0) | 0.095 |
Acute abdominal aneurysm | 5 (13.2) | 0 (0.0) | 0.151 |
Thoracic aortic dissection | 3 (7.9) | 2 (10.0) | 0.786 |
Other* | 24 (63.2) | 11 (55.0) | 0.546 |
Non-urgent cardiovascular diseases† | 257 (21.3) | 121 (14.8) | <0.001 |
Non-cardiac chest pain, not further specified ‡ | 180 (14.9) | 169 (20.7) | 0.001 |
Musculoskeletal pain | 173 (14.3) | 189 (23.2) | <0.001 |
Psychogenic disorders | 116 (9.6) | 110 (13.5) | 0.006 |
Gastrointestinal tract disorders | 97 (8.0) | 46 (5.6) | 0.04 |
Respiratory tract disorders | 66 (5.5) | 45 (5.5) | 0.955 |
Other non-urgent diagnoses§ | 110 (9.1) | 59 (7.2) | 0.137 |
*Stroke, severe COPD exacerbation, acute severe heart failure, sepsis, coronary spasm caused by hypokalaemia, diabetic ketoacidosis, epileptic insult, bleeding from oesophageal varices, ovarian torsion, ventricular fibrillation.
†Stable angina pectoris (including atypical chest pain), stable heart failure, arrhythmias, hypertension.
‡Cardiac pathology unlikely after cardiologist’s or GP’s diagnostic work-up, but without differential diagnosis.
§Among others: anaemia, carcinoma, vasovagal collapse, side effects to medication, dermatologic diseases.
ACS, acute coronary syndrome ; NSTEMI, non-ST elevation myocardial infarction; NTS, Netherlands Triage System; OHS-PC, out-of-hours services for primary care; STEMI, ST elevation myocardial infarction; UAP, unstable angina pectoris.