scholarly journals An Online Tool for Nurse Triage to Evaluate Risk for Acute Coronary Syndrome at Emergency Department

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuwares Sittichanbuncha ◽  
Patchaya Sanpha-asa ◽  
Theerayut Thongkrau ◽  
Chaiyapon Keeratikasikorn ◽  
Noppadol Aekphachaisawat ◽  
...  

Background. To differentiate acute coronary syndrome (ACS) from other causes in patients presenting with chest pain at the emergency department (ED) is crucial and can be performed by the nurse triage. We evaluated the effectiveness of the ED nurse triage for ACS of the tertiary care hospital.Methods. We retrospectively enrolled consecutive patients who were identified as ACS at risk patients by the ED nurse triage. Patients were categorized as ACS and non-ACS group by the final diagnosis. Multivariate logistic analysis was used to predict factors associated with ACS. An online model predictive of ACS for the ED nurse triage was constructed.Results. There were 175 patients who met the study criteria. Of those, 28 patients (16.0%) were diagnosed with ACS. Patients with diabetes, patients with previous history of CAD, and those who had at least one character of ACS chest pain were independently associated with having ACS by multivariate logistic regression. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) were 4.220 (1.445, 12.327), 3.333 (1.040, 10.684), and 12.539 (3.876, 40.567), respectively.Conclusions. The effectiveness of the ED nurse triage for ACS was 16%. The online tool is available for the ED triage nurse to evaluate risk of ACS in individuals.

CJEM ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (01) ◽  
pp. 22-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Hill ◽  
P.J. Devereaux ◽  
Lauren Griffith ◽  
John Opie ◽  
Matthew J. McQueen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the ability of troponin I (TnI) measurement to predict the likelihood of a serious cardiac outcome over the subsequent 72 hours in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with symptoms suggestive of an acute coronary syndrome. Methods: This prospective observational study enrolled consecutive patients presenting to 2 urban tertiary care hospital EDs over a 5-week period. Eligible patients included those for whom a TnI test was ordered within 24 hours of arrival and in whom no serious cardiac outcome occurred before the test result was available. Patients were followed for 72 hours and serious cardiac outcomes documented; these included cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, serious arrhythmia and refractory pain. We calculated likelihood ratios (LRs) to describe the association of the TnI result with serious cardiac outcomes. Results: Of the 352 enrolled patients, 20 had a serious cardiac outcome within 72 hours of ED presentation. The derived LRs (and 95% confidence interval [CI]) were 0.5 (0.3–0.9) for TnI values <0.5 µg/L, 1.6 (0.4–6.5) for TnI values from 0.5 to 2.0 µg/L, 5.8 (1.7–19.5) for TnI values from >2.0 to 10.0 µg/L and 14.4 (4.8–42.9) for TnI values >10.0 µg/L. Conclusions: TnI values >2.0 µg/L are associated with an increased probability of serious cardiac outcomes within 72 hours. TnI values between 0.5 and 2.0 µg/L are weakly positive predictors. TnI values <0.5 µg/L have LRs in the range of 0.5 and thus are weakly negative predictors, not substantially decreasing the likelihood of serious cardiac outcomes, particularly in patients with a moderate or high pretest probability.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (Suppl 2) ◽  
pp. s48-s48
Author(s):  
Priyamali Jayasekera ◽  
GKG Dasanayake ◽  
PMK Bandara ◽  
DANL Jayawardhena ◽  
KMS Malkanthi

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 398
Author(s):  
Mohammed Al-Maskari ◽  
Mahmoud Al-Makhdami ◽  
Hatim Al-Lawati ◽  
Hafidh Al-Hadi ◽  
Sunil K. Nadar

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine patterns of troponin testing in the emergency department of a large tertiary care hospital in Oman and to determine its effect on patient management, including length of hospital stay (LOS). Methods: This retrospective study analysed the medical records of all adult patients undergoing troponin testing in the emergency department of the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Muscat, Oman, during the month of July 2015. Patients who presented with an ST-elevation myocardial infarction wereexcluded. Results: A total of 4,845 patients attended the emergency department during the study period; of these, troponin tests were ordered for 588 patients. The majority of the patients had negative troponin test results (81.3%). Chest pain, palpitations and breathlessness were the most common presenting complaints for those with positive troponin results. However, 41.8% of patients did not have any cardiac symptoms. Individuals with positive troponin tests had a significantly longer LOS compared to those with negative tests (mean: three versus one day; P = 0.001). In total, only 28.2% of those with positive troponin test results had final diagnoses associated with a cardiac condition, such as heart failure, an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), atrial fibrillation or other types of arrhythmia. Conclusion: A positive troponin test was associated with increased LOS; however, only a small proportion of these patients had a final diagnosis associated with a cardiac condition. Guidelines should be provided to ensure that troponin testing is performed only in cases where an ACS is suspected.


Cardiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Ronny Alcalai ◽  
Boris Varshisky ◽  
Ahmad Marhig ◽  
David Leibowitz ◽  
Larissa Kogan-Boguslavsky ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Early and accurate diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is essential for initiating lifesaving interventions. In this article, the diagnostic performance of a novel point-of-care rapid assay (SensAheart<sup>©</sup>) is analyzed. This assay qualitatively determines the presence of 2 cardiac biomarkers troponin I and heart-type fatty acid-binding protein that are present soon after onset of myocardial injury. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We conducted a prospective observational study of consecutive patients who presented to the emergency department with typical chest pain. Simultaneous high-sensitive cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and SensAheart testing was performed upon hospital admission. Diagnostic accuracy was computed using SensAheart or hs-cTnT levels versus the final diagnosis defined as positive/negative. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Of 225 patients analyzed, a final diagnosis of ACS was established in 138 patients, 87 individuals diagnosed with nonischemic chest pain. In the overall population, as compared to hs-cTnT, the sensitivity of the initial SensAheart assay was significantly higher (80.4 vs. 63.8%, <i>p</i> = 0.002) whereas specificity was lower (78.6 vs. 95.4%, <i>p</i> = 0.036). The overall diagnostic accuracy of SensAheart assay was similar to the hs-cTnT (82.7% compared to 76.0%, <i>p</i> = 0.08). <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Upon first medical contact, the novel point-of-care rapid SensAheart assay shows a diagnostic performance similar to hs-cTnT. The combination of 2 cardiac biomarkers in the same kit allows for very early detection of myocardial damage. The SensAheart assay is a reliable and practical tool for ruling-in the diagnosis of ACS.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
ghufran adnan ◽  
Osman Faheem ◽  
Maria Khan ◽  
Pirbhat Shams ◽  
Jamshed Ali

Introduction: COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed the healthcare system of Pakistan. There has been observation regarding changes in pattern of patient presentation to emergency department (ED) for all diseases particularly cardiovascular. The aim of the study is to investigate these changes in cardiology consultations and compare pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 era. Hypothesis: There is a significant difference in cardiology consultations during COVID era as compared to non-COVID era. Method: We collected data retrospectively of consecutive patients who visited emergency department (ED) during March-April 2019 (non-COVID era) and March-April 2020 (COVID era). Comparison has been made to quantify the differences in clinical characteristics, locality, admission, type, number, and reason of Cardiology consults generated. Results: We calculated the difference of 1351 patients between COVID and non-COVID era in terms of cardiology consults generated from Emergency department, using Chi-square test. Out of which 880 (59%) are male with mean age of 61(SD=15). Analysis shows pronounced augmentation in number of comorbidities [Hypertension(6%), Chronic kidney disease (6%), Diabetes (5%)] but there was 36% drop in total cardiology consultations and 43% reduction rate in patient’s ED visit from other cities during COVID era. There was 60% decrease in acute coronary syndrome presentation in COVID era, but fortuitously drastic increase (30%) in type II myocardial injury has been noted. Conclusion: There is a remarkable decline observed in patients presenting with cardiac manifestations during COVID era. Lack in timely care could have a pernicious impact on outcomes, global health care organizations should issue directions to adopt telemedicine services in underprivileged areas to provide timely care to cardiac patients.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie L Davis ◽  
Thomas P McCoy ◽  
Barbara Riegel ◽  
Sharon McKinley ◽  
Lynn Doering ◽  
...  

Background: Prompt treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been shown to reduce mortality and morbidity; yet many patients delay seeking care. In order to receive timely care, symptoms of ACS need to be recognized, interpreted, and acted upon. Patients who experience symptoms matching their expectations and those with correct symptom attribution are more likely to use emergency medical services (EMS) as a means of transportation to the hospital. The connection between symptom type and EMS use has not been fully explored. Purpose: To assess if clusters of presenting symptoms are associated with EMS transportation to the emergency department (ED) in patients with ACS and to evaluate if EMS transportation or symptom clusters are associated with prehospital delay time. Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted from the PROMOTION trial, a randomized controlled trial to reduce patient prehospital delay in ACS. Results: Of the 3,522 subjects with coronary artery disease enrolled, 3,087 completed 2-year follow-up. Of these, 331 subjects visited an ED for ACS symptoms during follow-up. Among the 331, 84% (278) had mode of transportation documented; 44% arrived by EMS. Having classic ACS symptoms (chest pain, pressure, or discomfort) in combination with pain symptoms (AOR=2.66, p = 0.011), classic ACS symptoms in combination with stress symptoms (AOR=2.61, p = 0.007) or classic ACS symptoms in combination with both pain and stress symptoms (AOR=3.90, p = 0.012) were associated with higher odds of arriving to the ED by EMS compared to classic ACS symptoms alone. Among 260 patients with prehospital delay time available, arriving by EMS decreased median delay time by 68.5 minutes compared to those with other transportation, after accounting for symptom clusters, patient and study characteristics (p = 0.002). Symptom clusters did not predict delay time in adjusted modeling (p = 0.952). Conclusion: While chest pain was the most prevalent symptom of ACS for most (85%), these findings suggest that it is the cluster of classic ACS symptoms with other types of symptom that motivate patients to use EMS. With less than half of patients using EMS, further research is needed to better understand how symptom clusters influence care-seeking behavior.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document