Patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain may be profiled on the basis of race, gender and insurance coverage, according to a study published in Academic Emergency Medicine.

A retrospective study of more than 7,000 patients found that women and black men were the least likely to receive ECGs, x-rays, cardiac rhythm and oxygen saturation monitoring using pulse oximetry. Patients who were uninsured, self-paying, or who had noncommercial insurance, such as Medicaid, or who had missing insurance data also received less comprehensive care, the researchers reported.