Abstract Background Most cases of death from Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) occur in the first hours after the manifestation of clinical symptoms, constituting 40 to 65% in the first hour and approximately 80% in the first 24 hours. For the safe, effective, and rapid diagnosis of a patient with suspected AMI, international guidelines recommend that it be done based on clinical symptoms, together with electrocardiogram and analysis of biomarkers in the context of suspected of non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Troponins are the biomarkers of choice with level A level evidence and the ability to perform screening in patients complaining of chest pain and refer it to the correct clinical approach based on the 0h/1h algorithm. To date, the successful clinical implementation of these rapid algorithms is restricted to hospitals working with well-defined workflows and a robust central laboratory structure. The Atellica® vTLi analyzer is based on the chemiluminescence methodology for the quantification of hs-cTnI levels with low sample volume, low complexity, and may enable the rapid management of patients with chest pain and application of 0h/1h algorithm. Objectives The aim of the study is to evaluate clinical performance in effectiveness and efficiency of the hs-cTnI Atellica® vTLi point of care test to rule out acute myocardial infarction in subjects with low-risk chest pain established with a validated predictive rule, in an adult-Chilean emergency unit, compared to clinical evaluation and the commonly used ADVIA Centaur® troponin test. Methods Descriptive, observational, longitudinal study. Patients over 18 years of age, consulting with acute chest pain of at least one hour from symptom onset and a HEART SCORE less than or equal to 3 points were recruited. A venous blood sample was requested for hs-cTnI analysis by Atellica® vTLi Siemens Healthineers and ADVIA Centaur® Siemens Healthineers. The time difference between sample collection and start of sample analysis; the time difference between sample collection and release of sample results was recorded and the concordance between the two results was determined. Results 50 subjects were included in the study. The difference between blood sampling and start of sample analysis was 5 minutes with Atellica® vTLi POC and 68 minutes with ADVIA Centaur®. The concordance of hs-cTnI Atellica® vTLi POC and ADVIA Centaur® was 94% for predicting medical discharge and confirmed acute myocardial infarction. Conclusions The study findings support the safety and efficiency of the hs-cTnI POC test by providing faster results than central laboratory tests with the same analytical quality, with direct impact on reducing care times in patients consulting for low-risk chest pain.
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