scholarly journals Comparison of a single high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T measurement with the HEART score for rapid rule-out of acute myocardial infarction in a primary care emergency setting: a cohort study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. e046024
Author(s):  
Tonje R Johannessen ◽  
Dan Atar ◽  
Odd Martin Vallersnes ◽  
Anne Cecilie K Larstorp ◽  
Ibrahimu Mdala ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThis study aims to compare the rule-out safety of a single high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) with the History, ECG, Age, Risk factors and Troponin (HEART) score in a low-prevalence primary care setting of acute myocardial infarction (AMI).ParticipantsPatients with non-specific symptoms suggestive of AMI were consecutively enroled at a primary care emergency clinic in Oslo, Norway from November 2016 to October 2018.MethodsAfter initial assessment by a general practitioner, hs-cTnT samples were drawn. AMI was ruled-out by a single hs-cTnT <5 ng/L measured ≥3 hours after symptom onset. The HEART score was calculated retrospectively; a score ≤3 of 10 points was considered low risk. We also calculated a modified HEART score using more sensitive hs-cTnT thresholds. The primary outcome was the diagnostic performance for the rule-out of AMI at the index event; the secondary the composite of AMI or all-cause death at 90 days.ResultsAmong 1711 patients, 61 (3.6%) were diagnosed with AMI, and 569 (33.3%) patients were assigned to single rule-out (<5 ng/L). With no AMIs in this group, the negative predictive value (NPV) and sensitivity were both 100.0% (95% CI 99.4% to 100.0% and 94.1% to 100.0%, respectively), and the specificity 34.5% (32.2% to 36.8%). The original HEART score triaged more patients as low risk (n=871), but missed five AMIs (NPV 99.4% (98.7% to 99.8%); sensitivity 91.8% (81.9% to 97.3%) and specificity 52.5% (50.0% to 54.9%)). The modified HEART score increased the low-risk sensitivity to 98.4% (91.2% to 100.0%), with specificity 38.7% (36.3% to 41.1%). The 90-day incidence of AMI or death in the single rule-out and the original and modified low-risk HEART groups were 0.0%, 0.7%, and 0.2%, respectively.ConclusionIn a primary care emergency setting, a single hs-cTnT strategy was superior to the HEART score in ruling out AMI. This rapid and safe approach may enhance the assessment of patients with chest pain outside of hospitals.Trial registration numberNCT02983123.

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
T.R Johannessen ◽  
D Atar ◽  
O.M Vallersnes ◽  
A.C.K Larstorp ◽  
I Mdala ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Patients presenting with acute chest pain outside of hospitals represent a diagnostic challenge. Purpose We aimed to validate whether a single high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) safely can rule out acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a primary care emergency setting. In addition, we aimed to investigate if the hs-HEART (History, Electrocardiogram (ECG), Age, Risk factors, and hs-Troponin) score would add valuable diagnostic information. Methods This is a secondary analysis from a prospective diagnostic study, including 1711 patients with acute non-specific chest pain presenting to a primary care emergency clinic from November 2016 to October 2018. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 0/1-hour algorithm triages patients towards direct rule-out if the 0-hour hs-cTnT is below 5 ng/L, combined with a normal ECG and a 3-hour symptom duration. The hs-HEART score (0–10 points) was calculated retrospectively, and a score ≤3 points was considered low-risk. In addition, a modified hs-HEART score, with more comparable hs-cTnT cut-off values, was applied. The primary endpoint was AMI during the index episode; the secondary the 90-day incidence of AMI (including index) and all-cause death. Results Among 1711 patients, 61 (3.6%) had an AMI, and 525 (30.7%) were assigned towards direct rule-out. With no AMIs in this group, the rule-out safety was high (negative predictive value (NPV) and sensitivity 100%). The hs-HEART score triaged more patients (n=966) as low-risk, but missed six AMIs (NPV 99.4% and sensitivity 90.2%). The modified hs-HEART score (n=707, AMI=3) increased the low-risk sensitivity to 95.1%. The 90-day incidence of AMI and all-cause death in the direct rule-out, low-risk hs-HEART, and modified hs-HEART group, were 0.0%, 0.7%, and 0.4%, respectively. Conclusions The ESC direct rule-out approach, with a single hs-cTnT below 5 ng/L, combined with a normal ECG, and a 3-hour symptom duration, is superior to the two hs-HEART scores in ruling out AMI in a primary care emergency setting. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public Institution(s). Main funding source(s): The Norwegian Research Fund for General Practice


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Johannessen ◽  
D Atar ◽  
S Halvorsen ◽  
A C Larstorp ◽  
I Mdala ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The majority of patients with chest pain in Norway initially present to the primary health care system, which serves to triage them to the specialist health care services including hospitals. In some emergency primary care institutions, patients who are not hospitalised directly undergo further diagnostic testing to rule out acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Purpose Several studies have shown the advantage of using high-sensitivity assays for fast interpretation of cardiac troponins. The majority of these studies included patient populations from hospital emergency departments. In contrast, we aimed to investigate whether the 1-hour algorithm for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) is safe and useful for implementation in a primary care emergency setting where the patients have a much lower pre-test probability for an acute coronary syndrome. Methods In this prospective cohort study, we included 1672 patients with acute non-specific chest pain from November 2016 to October 2018 at a primary care emergency outpatient clinic in Norway. Serial hs-cTnT samples were analysed after 0, 1 and 4 hours on the Cobas 8000 e602 analyzer. We divided the results into one of three groups (rule-out, rule-in, or further observation), according to the 0/1-hour algorithm for hs-cTn from the current ESC guidelines on non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction. In the rule-out group, the 0/1-hour results were compared to the standard 4-hour hs-cTnT. Final hospital diagnoses were collected as a gold standard for the patients in the rule-in group. Results A total of 44 (2.6%) of 1672 patients were diagnosed with AMI. By applying the algorithm, 1274 (76.2%) patients were assigned to the rule-out group. One of the rule-out patients had a significant increase in hs-cTnT in the 4-hour sample. This results in a sensitivity for AMI of 97.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 88.0–99.9) and negative predictive value of 99.9% (95% CI 99.6–100.0). There were 50 (3.0%) patients in the rule-in group, amongst whom 35 had a verified AMI. This gives a specificity for AMI of 99.1% (95% CI 98.5–99.5) and a positive predictive value at 70.0% (95% CI 55.4–82.1). Among the 348 (20.8%) patients assigned to further observation, eight patients had an AMI. The 15 rule-in patients who did not have an AMI, had other acute illnesses that required further diagnostic work-up at the hospital. Conclusions With a negative predictive value at 99.9%, the 1-hour algorithm for hs-cTnT seems safe and applicable for a faster assessment of patients with non-specific chest pain in a primary care emergency setting. Prehospital implementation of this algorithm may reduce the need for hospitalisation of these patients and hence may probably lower the costs. ClinicalTrial.gov identifier: NCT02983123 Acknowledgement/Funding Norwegian Research Fund for General Practice, The Norwegian Physicians' Association Fund for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety


2015 ◽  
Vol 187 (8) ◽  
pp. E243-E252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Reichlin ◽  
Raphael Twerenbold ◽  
Karin Wildi ◽  
Maria Rubini Gimenez ◽  
Nathalie Bergsma ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Arslan ◽  
A Dedic ◽  
E Boersma ◽  
EA Dubois

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine (a) the ability of serial high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T measurements to rule out acute myocardial infarction and (b) the ability of a single high baseline high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T measurement to rule in acute myocardial infarction in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute chest pain. Methods and results: Embase, Medline, Cochrane, Web of Science and Google scholar were searched for prospective cohort studies that evaluated parameters of diagnostic accuracy of serial high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T to rule out acute myocardial infarction and a single baseline high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T value>50 ng/l to rule in acute myocardial infarction. The search yielded 21 studies for the systematic review, of which 14 were included in the meta-analysis, with a total of 11,929 patients and an overall prevalence of acute myocardial infarction of 13.0%. For rule-out, six studies presented the sensitivity of serial measurements <14 ng/l. This cut-off classified 60.1% of patients as rule-out and the summary sensitivity was 96.7% (95% confidence interval: 92.3–99.3). Three studies presented the sensitivity of a one-hour algorithm with a baseline high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T value<12 ng/l and delta 1 hour <3 ng/l. This algorithm classified 60.2% of patients as rule-out and the summary sensitivity was 98.9% (96.4–100). For rule-in, six studies reported the specificity of baseline high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T value>50 ng/l. The summary specificity was 94.6% (91.5–97.1). Conclusion: Serial high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T measurement strategies to rule out acute myocardial infarction perform well, and a single baseline high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T value>50 ng/l to rule in acute myocardial infarction has a high specificity.


2017 ◽  
Vol 69 (11) ◽  
pp. 241
Author(s):  
Dennis Sandeman ◽  
Anoop Shah ◽  
Lorraine Dinnel ◽  
Jack Andrews ◽  
Bappa Roy ◽  
...  

CJEM ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew McRae ◽  
Michelle Graham ◽  
Tasnima Abedin ◽  
Yunqi Ji ◽  
Hong Yang ◽  
...  

AbstractObjectiveSex-specific diagnostic cut-offs may improve the test characteristics of high-sensitivity troponin assays for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). The objective of this study was to quantify test characteristics of sex-specific cut-offs of a single, high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) assay for 7-day MI in patients with chest pain.MethodsThis observational cohort study included consecutive emergency department (ED) patients with suspected cardiac chest pain from four Canadian EDs who had an hs-cTnT assay performed within 60 minutes of ED arrival. The primary outcome was MI at 7 days. We quantified test characteristics (sensitivity, negative predictive value [NPV], likelihood ratios and proportion of patients ruled out) for multiple combinations of sex-specific, rule-out cut-offs. We calculated the net reclassification index compared to universal rule-out cut-offs.ResultsIn 7,130 patients (3,931 men and 3,199 women), the 7-day MI incidence was 7.38% among men and 3.78% among women. Optimal sex-specific cut-offs (<8 ng/L for men and <7 ng/L for women) had a 98.5% sensitivity for MI and ruled out MI in 55.8% of patients. This would enable an absolute increase in the proportion of patients who were able to be ruled out with a single hs-cTnT of 13.2% to 22.2%, depending on the universal rule-out concentration used as a comparator.ConclusionsSex-specific hs-cTnT cut-offs for ruling out MI at ED arrival may improve classification performance, enabling more patients to be safely ruled out at ED arrival. However, differences between sex-specific and universal cut-off concentrations are within the variation of the assay, limiting the clinical utility of this approach. These findings should be confirmed in other data sets.


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