Diagnostic Efficacy of Perfusion Index and Pleth Variability Index in Patients Admitted to the Emergency Department with Chest Pain

Abstract

Objective: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Therefore, rapid differential diagnosis and treatment is required in patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain. In this disorder, in which rapid diagnosis and treatment are life-saving, novel diagnostic methods are being proposed every day. This study aimed to reveal the contributions of the Perfusion Index (PI) and the Pleth Variability Index (PVI) measurements to management of patients with chest pain.
 Materials and Methods: PI and PVI measurements were carried out during routine clinical procedure by a trained 
 triage nurse who was blinded to the study using the Masimo Radical 7 Pulse Oximetry Device in all adult patients who were admitted to the ED with the complaint of chest pain between April 1st, 2019 and October 1st, 2019. The demographic characteristics, PI, PVI, HEART score, ECG findings, and troponin levels were recorded.
 
 Results: A total of 154 patients, 96 (62.3%) of whom were males, were included in our study. The mean age was calculated as 55.1 ±18.2 years in men, 56.8 ±20.2 years in women, and 56.3±18.9 years in total. Of all patients, 66 (42.8%) were hospitalized with ACS diagnosis, and 88 (57.2%) were discharged from ED. The hospitalized patients had statistically higher values for Troponin, HEART score, and mean age. There was no difference between the two groups regarding PI and PVI.
 Conclusion: We think that the contributions of PI and PVI to emergency physicians in the management of patients who are evaluated with suspicion of ACS in the ED will be limited.