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CARE-CP: Evaluating Chest Pain Management

This study, called CARE-CP, is looking for people aged 21 and older who come to the emergency room with chest pain and are at moderate risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which is a serious heart condition. You would be eligible if your electrocardiogram (ECG) is normal and your troponin levels (a protein released when heart muscle is damaged) are below certain limits, and you don't have a history of coronary artery disease. The study is comparing two ways to manage your care: either an outpatient evaluation within 72 hours of leaving the emergency room, or an evaluation in the hospital. The main goal is to see which approach leads to more hospital-free days 30 days after you join the study. The current status of this study is unclear.

Study design
This is an interventional study planning to enroll 502 participants. Participants will be randomly assigned to either an outpatient evaluation or a hospitalization evaluation.
What's involved
If you join, you would either receive an outpatient evaluation within 72 hours of discharge from the ED, or be evaluated in a hospital ward, observation unit, or emergency department boarding.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Your hospital-free days will be measured 30 days after you join the study.

AI-generated from the public study record. Only the study team can confirm whether you're eligible — confirm details with them before making decisions.

NCT05897632

CARE-CP (Testing a Cardiovascular Ambulatory Rapid Evaluation for Patients With Chest Pain)

Recruiting
NAAges 21+InterventionalTreatment
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
~502 participants
Updated 2026-04-06 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Outpatient EvaluationHospitalization Evaluation

At a glance

Recruiting sites
3 of 3 listed sites are recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
Hospital-free days (HFD) at 30-days post-randomization
Measured over Day 30

Conditions

Chest Pain

Explore related trials

Acute Coronary SyndromeCardiovascular DisorderChest Pain

Where it's being run

3 sites across 2 states
North Carolina2
Michigan1

Study leadership

  • Simon Mahler, MD, MS · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Who to contact

Lauren Koehler
[email protected]
336-716-4646
Email the study team

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Do you actually qualify for this trial?

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Age ≥21 years old
Chest pain or Symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS)
Moderate risk of ACS (all of the below)
Hear Score 4-6
Non-Ischemic electrocardiogram (ECG)
Two Troponin measures \< Sex-Specific Upper Reference Limit
Women \<15 pg/ml
Men \<20 pg/ml
No prior coronary artery disease (CAD)
No Prior Myocardial Infarction (MI)
No Prior Coronary Revascularization Procedures
No Patients with ≥ 70% Obstructive Coronary Disease

Exclusion

ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) Activation
ST Changes or new T-wave inversions ≥1mm on ECG
Any Elevated Troponin Measure (Based on Sex-Specific 99th Percentile)
Serial change between Troponin Measures (Delta) ≥5 pg/mL
Stress Echocardiography, Nuclear Stress Test, Stress ECG, Stress Cardiac MRI, Coronary CT Angiogram (CCTA), Invasive Coronary Angiography (Cardiac Cath) within 1 year
"Clean" CCTA or Cardiac Cath (0% stenosis in all vessels) within the past 2 years
Chest Trauma
Pregnancy
Life Expectancy \< 1 year
Other comorbid conditions requiring hospitalization
Unstable Vitals (Blood Pressure \<90, Heart Rate \>120 or \<50, O2 Sat \<90%)
End Stage Renal Disease; Dialysis or estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) \<30 mL/min
Transfers From Another Hospital
Non-English Speaking
Prisoners
Prior Enrollment
Already Enrolled in Other Interventional Trial

What this trial measures

  • Hospital-free days (HFD) at 30-days post-randomizationDay 30

    Time spent in a hospital setting at 30 days post-randomization will be measured and subtracted from time spent outside the hospital. Hospital time is broadly defined, based on a patient-centered definition of cumulative time spent in the ED, observation unit, or hospital ward. Consistent with prior trials, patients who experience death during the follow-up period are assigned zero HFDs.