scholarly journals LO82: Does triage assignment correlate with outcome for ed patients presenting with chest pain?

CJEM ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (S1) ◽  
pp. S37
Author(s):  
S. Stackhouse ◽  
E. Grafstein ◽  
G. Innes
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Chest Pain ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Noncardiac Chest Pain ◽  
Composite Outcome ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Aortic Pathology ◽  
High Acuity ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Outcome Event

Introduction: CTAS triage acuity and CEDIS complaint categories are used to prioritize patients for rapid treatment and ED resource allocation. Our objective was to evaluate CTAS and CEDIS validity for risk stratification of ED patients with chest pain using data from two Canadian cities. Methods: This administrative database study included patients seen over a five-year period with a triage complaint of chest pain. Our composite primary outcome included 7-day mortality, cardiac arrest, acute coronary syndrome (ACS) diagnosis (STEMI, NSTEMI, unstable angina{UA}), admission to a critical care unit, or hospitalization with CHF, pulmonary embolism, dysrhythmia, aortic pathology, neurologic or respiratory diagnosis. We dichotomized triage assignments to cardiac vs. noncardiac chest pain and high (CTAS 1,2) vs. low (3,4,5) triage acuity. For our secondary outcome we reported the components of the primary composite outcome. Results: We studied 111,824 patients. The most common overall diagnoses were chest pain NYD (53.8%), ACS (8.9%), musculoskeletal (7.4%), and acute respiratory (5.5%) or GI (5.1%) conditions. Of all patients studied, 85,888 (76.8%) were placed in the “cardiac features” group, and 93,257 (83.4%) fell into high acuity CTAS 1-2. Patients triaged into the “cardiac features” group were more likely to have a composite outcome event (16.6% v. 6.7%; p < 0.001), to be admitted (21.8% v. 9.0%), to require critical care (6.0% v. 0.7%), to receive an ACS diagnosis (11.3% v. 0.9%), and to die within 7 days (0.5% v. 0.2%). Patients in high acuity triage levels were also more likely to have a composite outcome event (15.8% v. 3.3%; p < 0.001), to be admitted (25.4% v. 14.3%), to require critical care (8.2% v. 1.2%), to receive an ACS diagnosis (10.5% v. 0.9%), and to die within 7 days (0.5% v. 0.2%). Conclusion: This study shows that triage assignment is strongly correlated with important patient outcomes and that both the chief complaint and acuity level are powerful risk predictors. These findings may differ at other sites and hospitals should assess and evaluate their data.

scholarly journals LO62: Variability in triage performance for chest pain patients in two Canadian cities

CJEM ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (S1) ◽  
pp. S28-S29
Author(s):  
S. Stackhouse ◽  
G. Innes ◽  
E. Grafstein
Keyword(s):  
Chest Pain ◽  
Admission Rate ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Administrative Database ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Patient Acuity ◽  
High Severity ◽  
Aortic Pathology ◽  
High Acuity ◽  
Similar Patient

Introduction: CTAS triage acuity determinations are used to prioritize patients, describe illness acuity, and compare casemix across institutions. The latter functions assume reliable application in diverse settings, but no studies have evaluated this using actual triage data. Methods: This administrative database study included all patients with a triage complaint of chest pain (CP) in Vancouver (2012-16) and Calgary (2016). We stratified patients into high vs. non-high severity groups based on discharge diagnoses. High severity diagnoses included all patients with aortic pathology, ACS, shock or arrest states, as well as patients requiring admission because of pulmonary embolism, dysrhythmias, CHF, neurologic or respiratory conditions. We dichotomized patient triage assignments to high (CTAS 1,2) vs. low (3,4,5) acuity, then constructed 2x2 tables correlating CTAS acuity with disease severity. Main outcomes included the proportion of CP patients triaged to high acuity categories and CTAS sensitivity for high severity conditions. Results: We studied 97277 Vancouver and 18622 Calgary patients. Age (mean, 54.8 years), sex (53.5% male) and casemix distributions were similar between cities, although Calgary had more high severity conditions (15.0% v. 10.5%) and a higher admission rate (22.5% v. 21.4%). Calgary triage nurses placed more patients in high acuity triage categories (85.1% vs. 45.2%) and achieved higher sensitivity for severe illness (96.2% vs. 76.2%); however, they were less accurate (28.7% vs. 60.3%) and less specific (16.8% vs. 58.4%). The proportion of CP patients triaged into high acuity categories ranged from 79% to 87% across four Calgary hospitals and from 28% to 62% at five Vancouver hospitals. Conclusion: This study shows profoundly different triage categorization at different sites seeing similar patient populations. Triage nurses are taught to strive for high sensitivity, but there may be operational consequences if specificity drops too low and large numbers of non-severe patients are triaged into high acuity categories. It is not clear which approach is better but these data suggest CTAS should not be used to compare patient acuity or complexity across different hospitals or regions.

scholarly journals Variation of Cardiac Troponin I and T Measured with Sensitive Assays in Emergency Department Patients with Noncardiac Chest Pain

2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (8) ◽  
pp. 1208-1214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volkher Scharnhorst ◽  
Krisztina Krasznai ◽  
Marcel van 't Veer ◽  
Rolf H Michels
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Acute Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Chest Pain ◽  
Cardiac Troponin ◽  
Myocardial Necrosis ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Noncardiac Chest Pain ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Concentration Changes

Abstract BACKGROUND New-generation high-sensitivity assays for cardiac troponin have lower detection limits and less imprecision than earlier assays. Reference 99th-percentile cutoff values for these new assays are also lower, leading to higher frequencies of positive test results. When cardiac troponin concentrations are minimally increased, serial testing allows discrimination of myocardial infarction from other causes of increased cardiac troponin. We assessed various measures of short-term variation, including absolute concentration changes, reference change values (RCVs), and indices of individuality (II) for 2 cardiac troponin assays in emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS We collected blood from patients presenting with cardiac chest pain upon arrival in the ED and 2, 6, and 12 h later. Cardiac troponin was measured with the high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) assay (Roche Diagnostics) and a sensitive cTnI assay (Siemens Diagnostics). Cardiac troponin results from 67 patients without acute coronary syndrome or stable angina were used in calculating absolute changes in cardiac troponin, RCVs, and II. RESULTS The 95th percentiles for absolute change in cardiac troponin were 8.3 ng/L for hs-cTnT and 28 ng/L for cTnI. Within-individual and total CVs were 11% and 14% for hs-cTnT and 18% and 21% for cTnI, respectively. RCVs were 38% (hs-cTnT) and 57% (cTnI). The corresponding log-normal RCVs were +46%/−32% for hs-cTnT and +76%/−43% for cTnI. II values were 0.31 (cTnI) and 0.12 (hs-cTnT). CONCLUSIONS The short-term variations and IIs of cardiac troponin were low in ED patients free of ischemic myocardial necrosis. The detection of cardiac troponin variation exceeding reference thresholds can help to identify ED patients with acute myocardial necrosis whereas variation within these limits renders acute coronary syndrome unlikely.

scholarly journals Diagnostic accuracy of the HEART Pathway and EDACS-ADP when combined with a 0-hour/1-hour hs-cTnT protocol for assessment of acute chest pain patients

2021 ◽  
pp. emermed-2020-210833
Author(s):  
Tsvetelina Nilsson ◽  
Erik Johannesson ◽  
Jakob Lundager Forberg ◽  
Arash Mokhtari ◽  
Ulf Ekelund
Keyword(s):  
Chest Pain ◽  
Risk Stratification ◽  
Diagnostic Accuracy ◽  
Troponin T ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Index Visit ◽  
Heart Score ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Pain Patients ◽  
Rule Out

Background/aimIn ED chest pain patients, a 0-hour/1-hour protocol based on high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) tests combined with clinical risk stratification in diagnosing acute coronary syndrome is recommended. Two of the most promising risk stratification tools are the History, ECG, Age, Risk Factors and Troponin (HEART) and Emergency Department Assessment of Chest Pain (EDAC) scores. Few studies have assessed the diagnostic accuracy of the 0-hour/1-hour hs-cTnT protocol when combined with HEART score, and none with EDACS. In ED chest pain patients, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a 0-hour/1-hour hs-cTnT protocol combined the HEART Pathway, or the EDACS accelerated diagnostic pathway (EDACS-ADP).MethodsThis was a secondary analysis of data from a prospective observational study enrolling 1167 ED chest pain patients who visited the ED at Skåne University Hospital in Lund, Sweden in the period between February 2013 and April 2014. HEART and EDAC scores were assessed together with hs-cTnT at 0 and 1 hour and compared with HEART score alone. Sensitivity, specificity, negative predictive value (NPV) and likelihood ratios were evaluated. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including unstable angina within 30 days. The secondary outcome was index visit acute myocardial infarction (AMI).ResultsA total of 939 patients were included in the final analysis. When combined with 0-hour/1-hour hs-cTnT testing, the HEART Pathway and EDACS-ADP identified 49.8% and 49.6% of the patients for rule-out, with NPVs for 30-day MACE of 99.8% and 99.1%, compared with the HEART score alone that identified 53.4% of the patients for rule-out with NPV of 99.2%. The NPV for index visit AMI were 100%, 99.8% and 99.2%, respectively.ConclusionThe combination of the HEART Pathway or the EDACS-ADP with a 0-hour/1-hour hs-cTnT protocol allows safe and early rule-out in a large proportion of ED chest pain patients.

scholarly journals The Radiologist as a Gatekeeper in Chest Pain

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 6677
Author(s):  
Silvia Pradella ◽  
Giulia Zantonelli ◽  
Giulia Grazzini ◽  
Diletta Cozzi ◽  
Ginevra Danti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chest Pain ◽  
Invasive Coronary Angiography ◽  
Patient Characteristics ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Aortic Pathology ◽  
Life Threatening ◽  
Ct Technology ◽  
Artery Disease ◽  
Rule Out

Chest pain is a symptom that can be found in life-threatening conditions such as acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Those patients requiring invasive coronary angiography treatment or surgery should be identified. Often the clinical setting and laboratory tests are not sufficient to rule out a coronary or aortic syndrome. Cardiac radiological imaging has evolved in recent years both in magnetic resonance (MR) and in computed tomography (CT). CT, in particular, due to its temporal and spatial resolution, the quickness of the examination, and the availability of scanners, is suitable for the evaluation of these patients. In particular, the latest-generation CT scanners allow the exclusion of diagnoses such as coronary artery disease and aortic pathology, thereby reducing the patient’s stay in hospital and safely selecting patients by distinguishing those who do not need further treatment from those who will need more- or less-invasive therapies. CT additionally reduces costs by improving long-term patient outcome. The limitations related to patient characteristics and those related to radiation exposure are weakening with the improvement of CT technology.

Modified TIMI risk score cannot be used to identify low-risk chest pain in the emergency department: a multicentre validation study

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 281-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen P J Macdonald ◽  
Yusuf Nagree ◽  
Daniel M Fatovich ◽  
Simon G A Brown
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Emergency Department ◽  
Chest Pain ◽  
Risk Stratification ◽  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
Risk Score ◽  
Composite Outcome ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Timi Score ◽  
Timi Risk Score

AimThe Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score (range 0–7), used for emergency department (ED) risk stratification of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS), underestimates risk associated with ECG changes or cardiac troponin elevation. A modified TIMI score (mTIMI, range 0–10), which gives increased weighting to these variables, has been proposed. We aimed to evaluate the performance of the mTIMI score in ED patients with suspected ACS.MethodsA multicentre prospective observational study enrolled patients undergoing assessment for possible ACS. TIMI and mTIMI scores were calculated. The study outcome was a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction or coronary revascularisation within 30 days.ResultsOf the 1666 patients, 219 (13%) reached the study outcome. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the composite outcome was 0.80 (0.76 to 0.83) for the mTIMI score compared with 0.71 (0.67 to 0.74) for the standard TIMI score, p<0.001, but there was no significant difference for death or revascularisation outcomes. Sensitivity and specificity for the composite outcome were 0.96 (0.92 to 0.98) and 0.23 (0.20 to 0.26), respectively, at score 0 for TIMI and mTIMI. At score <2, sensitivity and specificity were 0.82 (0.77 to 0.87) and 0.53 (0.51 to 0.56) for mTIMI, and 0.74 (0.68 to 0.79) and 0.54 (0.51 to 0.56) for standard TIMI, respectively.ConclusionsmTIMI score performs better than standard TIMI score for ED risk stratification of chest pain, but neither is sufficiently sensitive at scores >0 to allow safe and early discharge without further investigation or follow-up. Observed differences in performance may be due to incorporation bias.

scholarly journals Efficacy of thrombolytics in patients with acute coronary syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Vasin ◽  
O Mironova ◽  
V Fomin
Keyword(s):  
Acute Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Chest Pain ◽  
Thrombolytic Therapy ◽  
Prehospital Care ◽  
Optimal Choice ◽  
Hospital Treatment ◽  
Complication Rates ◽  
Coronary Syndrome ◽  
Thrombolytic Drug ◽  
Systemic Thrombolytic Therapy

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background/Introduction: The optimal choice of the thrombolytic drug for emergency revascularization in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) still remains to be defined. Percutaneous coronary intervention is a more safe and effective method of reperfusion compared with thrombolytic therapy, that’s why the last is relatively not common nowadays. But in the COVID-19 era in a number of cases some patients with ACS can’t be quickly hospitalized due to different reasons like the absence of the nearest available cardiovascular center, or lack of an ambulance. A long period of chest pain forces the doctors to use systemic thrombolytic therapy. Purpose This study investigates the efficacy and safety of Alteplase, Prourokinase, Tenecteplase, and Streptokinase in patients with acute coronary syndrome. Methods A retrospective, open, non-randomized cohort study was conducted. We have analysed 600 patients with ACS, who underwent systemic thrombolytic therapy at the prehospital and in-hospital stages from 2009 to 2011. Patients were divided into several groups according to the thrombolytic agent administered: Alteplase (254 patients), Prourokinase (309 patients), Tenecteplase (6 patients), Streptokinase (31 patients). Treatments were to be given as soon as possible. The ECG reperfusion criterion was a decrease in the ST segment by 50% or more from the initial elevation. Results  Among 600 patients (mean age, 61 years (SD = 20); 119 women [19.7%]), 440 had successful reperfusion. The median time from chest pain onset to the start of treatment was 3 hours (P &lt; 0.001). The percentages of successful thrombolysis for each agent were similar: Alteplase 74,4% Prourokinase 71,2%, Tenecteplase 83%, Streptokinase 74,2%. No statistical differences were observed in thrombolytic results among these groups (OR: 0.60, 95% CI: 0,2868 to 1,217; P = 0.17). At the same time, the hospital treatment with prourokinase was more effective than prehospital care with prourokinase: 110 successful reperfusions in 138 patients (79.7%) and 110 successful reperfusions in 171 patients (64.3%), respectively. Regardless of the onset of the attack (OR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0,2004 to 0,9913; P = 0.05). The effectiveness of the other thrombolytics cannot be compared between prehospital care and hospital treatment due to the rare use at the hospital stage in our cases. In the study, there was also no statistical difference in complication rates among the treatment groups. Among all patients, there were 9 fatal outcomes (1.5%): Alteplase 3,15% Prourokinase 1,9%, Streptokinase 3,22%. Conclusion(s): In patients with ACS, all thrombolytic drugs showed similar effectiveness. There is no difference in the safety and efficacy among the agents in our study, but there is a difference in cost and route of administration. However, upcoming prospective trials with long follow-up periods might be expected to determine the most appropriate systemic thrombolytic drug.

scholarly journals COVID-19 infection among international travellers: a prospective analysis

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. e050667
Author(s):  
Meaghan Lunney ◽  
Paul E Ronksley ◽  
Robert G Weaver ◽  
Lianne Barnieh ◽  
Norman Blue ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Critical Care ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Contact Tracing ◽  
Prospective Analysis ◽  
Pilot Programme ◽  
Negative Test ◽  
Secondary Transmission ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Test Result

ObjectivesThis report estimates the risk of COVID-19 importation and secondary transmission associated with a modified quarantine programme in Canada.Design and participantsProspective analysis of international asymptomatic travellers entering Alberta, Canada.InterventionsAll participants were required to receive a PCR COVID-19 test on arrival. If negative, participants could leave quarantine but were required to have a second test 6 or 7 days after arrival. If the arrival test was positive, participants were required to remain in quarantine for 14 days.Main outcome measuresProportion and rate of participants testing positive for COVID-19; number of cases of secondary transmission.ResultsThe analysis included 9535 international travellers entering Alberta by air (N=8398) or land (N=1137) that voluntarily enrolled in the Alberta Border Testing Pilot Programme (a subset of all travellers); most (83.1%) were Canadian citizens. Among the 9310 participants who received at least one test, 200 (21.5 per 1000, 95% CI 18.6 to 24.6) tested positive. Sixty-nine per cent (138/200) of positive tests were detected on arrival (14.8 per 1000 travellers, 95% CI 12.5 to 17.5). 62 cases (6.7 per 1000 travellers, 95% CI 5.1 to 8.5; 31.0% of positive cases) were identified among participants that had been released from quarantine following a negative test result on arrival. Of 192 participants who developed symptoms, 51 (26.6%) tested positive after arrival. Among participants with positive tests, four (2.0%) were hospitalised for COVID-19; none required critical care or died. Contact tracing among participants who tested positive identified 200 contacts; of 88 contacts tested, 22 were cases of secondary transmission (14 from those testing positive on arrival and 8 from those testing positive thereafter). SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage was not detected in any of the 200 positive cases.Conclusions21.5 per 1000 international travellers tested positive for COVID-19. Most (69%) tested positive on arrival and 31% tested positive during follow-up. These findings suggest the need for ongoing vigilance in travellers testing negative on arrival and highlight the value of follow-up testing and contact tracing to monitor and limit secondary transmission where possible.

scholarly journals Benefit and Harm of Extended Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After PCI in high-risk TWILIGHT-like patients with acute coronary syndrome

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
HY Wang ◽  
R Zhang ◽  
ZX Cai ◽  
KF Dou
Keyword(s):  
Acute Coronary Syndrome ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Antiplatelet Therapy ◽  
Cardiovascular Death ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Bleeding Events ◽  
Coronary Syndrome

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Recent emphasis on reduced duration and/or intensity of antiplatelet therapy following PCI irrespective of indication for PCI may fail to account for the substantial risk of subsequent nontarget lesion events in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients. This study sought to investigate the benefits and risks of extended-term (&gt;12-month) DAPT as compared with short-term DAPT in high-risk "TWILIGHT-like" ACS patients undergoing PCI. Methods All consecutive patients fulfilling the "TWILIGHT-like" criteria undergoing PCI from January 2013 to December 2013 were identified from the prospective Fuwai PCI Registry. High-risk "TWILIGHT-like" patients were defined by at least 1 clinical and 1 angiographic feature based on TWILIGHT trial selection criteria. The present analysis evaluated 4,875 high-risk "TWILIGHT-like" patients with ACS who were event-free at 12 months after PCI. The primary outcome was the composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), or stroke at 30 months while BARC type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding was key secondary outcome. Results Extended DAPT compared with shorter DAPT reduced the composite outcome of all-cause death, MI, or stroke by 63% (1.5% vs. 3.8%; HRadj: 0.374, 95% CI: 0.256 to 0.548; HRmatched: 0.361, 95% CI: 0.221-0.590). The HR for cardiovascular death was 0.049 (0.007 to 0.362) and that for MI 0.45 (0.153 to 1.320) and definite/probable stent thrombosis 0.296 (0.080-1.095) in propensity-matched analyses. Rates of BARC type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding (0.9% vs. 1.3%; HRadj: 0.668 [0.379 to 1.178]; HRmatched: 0.721 [0.369-1.410]) did not differ significantly in patients treated with DAPT &gt; 12-month or DAPT ≤ 12-month. The effect of long-term DAPT on primary and key secondary outcome across the proportion of ACS patients with 1-3, 4-5, or 6-9 risk factors showed a consistent manner (Pinteraction &gt; 0.05). Conclusion Among high-risk "TWILIGHT-like" patients with ACS after PCI, long-term DAPT reduced ischemic events without increasing clinically meaningful bleeding events as compared with short-term DAPT, suggesting that extended DAPT might be considered in the treatment of ACS patients who present with a particularly higher risk for thrombotic complications. Abstract Figure.

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