Sex differences in guideline-consistent diagnostic testing for acute pulmonary embolism among adult emergency department patients aged 18-49.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a frequent diagnostic consideration in emergency department (ED) patients, yet diagnosis is challenging because symptoms of PE are nonspecific. Guidelines recommend the use of clinical decision tools to increase efficiency and avoid harms from overtesting, including D-dimer screening in patients not at high risk for PE. Women undergo testing for PE more often than men yet have a lower yield from testing. Our study objective was to determine whether patient sex influenced the odds of received guideline-consistent care.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cohort study at two large U.S. academic EDs from January 1, 2016, to December 31, 2018. Nonpregnant patients aged 18-49 years were included if they presented with chest pain, shortness o

SUBMITTER: Jarman AF 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10497718 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature