Level of troponin needed to rule out MI in patients with chest pain is identified

Researchers have identified the level of the protein troponin below which it is highly unlikely that someone presenting with chest pain has had a myocardial infarction (MI).

Routine use of the test in the emergency department could rule out a diagnosis of MI in two thirds of patients with chest pain, the authors have estimated—double the number of patients currently suitable for immediate discharge.

A total of 6304 patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome at four emergency departments in Scotland from June 2013 to January 2014 were recruited to the prospective observational cohort study, reported in the Lancet.1 All patients …