The utility of the initial electrocardiogram in predicting acute coronary events in current cocaine users with chest pain in the emergency department.

Introduction: Chest pain suggestive of myocardial ischemia or infarction is a common emergency department complaint and a subset of these is associated with cocaine use. It can be difficult to triage patients with chest pain while using cocaine.

Objective: To assess the reliability of the initial electrocardiogram (ECG) done in the emergency department in current cocaine users suspected of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in predicting a true event.