Study leader Dr. Rajan Agarwal, a resident at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, said the cost of chest pain triage -- patients in the emergency department are prioritized based on their symptoms -- and management has been estimated at as high as $8 billion annually, with most patients ultimately sent home.

In the study, a total of 202 patients older than 30, who presented at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania from October 2005 to February 2007, and whose primary complaint was chest pain, were given an electrocardiogram and a specialized CT scan.

Patients diagnosed with the CT scan experienced a reduced length of stay in the hospital emergency room, decreased costs, improved inpatient bed availability and reduced crowding in the emergency department, Agarwal said.

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.