Reductions in Major Downstream Care After Switch to High-Sensitivity Troponin Test

In 2017, the FDA approved high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays. Clinicians now regularly use these tests that lower the limit of detection, which might have consequences for subsequent clinical evaluation. In 2018, the Mass General Brigham system replaced their conventional troponin testing with hs-cTn assays, providing an opportunity to assess the impact of these tests on subsequent care.

Investigators studied electronic health record data from ≈108,000 emergency department visits, including 7% (≈7500) for chest pain and 93% (≈100,500) for other symptoms. They assessed net change in cascade care services for chest-pain visits before and after hs-cTn introduction, adjusting for changes in the same services for visits for other s…