Young Women With Chest Pain Linger Longer in Emergency Room Waiting Areas Than Young Men

A new study led by Darcy Banco, chief resident for safety and quality in the department of medicine at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, finds that younger women experiencing chest pain – the most common symptom of a heart attack – wait longer to get care in the emergency room than their respective male counterparts, potentially placing them at higher risk for poor outcomes. The study also found women 18 to 55 years old also received a less thorough evaluation for a possible heart attack and were less likely to be admitted to the hospital when presenting with similar symptoms as their male peers.

Researchers analyzed 4,152 medical records from 2014 to 2018 for nearly 30 million emergency room visits for chest pain. The results showed women waited an average 11 minutes longer than men – 48 minutes versus 37 minutes – to be seen by emergency room staff. Women reporting chest pain were less likely than men to be prescribed heart medications or to be admitted to the hospital or kept in the emergency room for observation.

“Whether or not the differences in chest pain evaluation directly translate into differences in outcomes, they represent a difference in the care individuals receive based on their sex, and that is important for us to know,” said Dr. Banco.

Dr. Banco is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where she majored in biology and anthropology. She holds a master of public health degree and a medical doctorate from the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.

The full study, “Sex and Race Differences in the Evaluation and Treatment of Young Adults Presenting to the Emergency Department With Chest Pain,” was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. It may be found here.