Performance of High-Sensitivity Troponin Assays in U.S. Emergency Departments

High-sensitivity troponin (hsTnI) is widely used in Europe to test for myocardial infarction (MI) and is becoming more common in the U.S. Because U.S. patients may have different demographics and risk factors, these authors evaluated performance of a European-based hsTnI strategy in 29 U.S. emergency departments from 2015 to 2016.

Serum was collected for hsTnI testing at baseline, 60 minutes, and 120 to 180 minutes from the time the patient consented to participate. Results were not available to treating clinicians or the panel that determined the final diagnosis. Patients with ST elevation MI were excluded. The testing strategy defined MI as “ruled-in” or “ruled-out” by several metrics, including initial hsTnI concentration and the change a…