EMERALD (Emergency Medicine Cardiovascular Risk Assessment for Lipid Disorders) is a pilot study seeking to determine the feasibility of initiating medical therapy for hyperlipidemia (HLD) in the Emergency Department (ED) and will collect data essential to inform a future randomized controlled trial comparing ED HLD treatment to usual care. HLD is a key cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor that is causally associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), the leading cause of US mortality and morbidity.
The EMERALD intervention involves 1) ordering an Emergency Department (ED) lipid panel, 2) calculating 10-year Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk using the Pooled Cohort Equations, 3) prescribing a moderate- or high-intensity statin if applicable, and 4) referring patients to outpatient care (primary care, preventive cardiology, or general cardiology, depending on risk level).