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Point-of-care testing with high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays: the challenges and opportunities
  1. Louise Cullen1,
  2. Paul O Collinson2,
  3. Evangelos Giannitsis3
  1. 1Emergency and Trauma Centre, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia
  2. 2Departments of Clinical Blood Sciences and Cardiology, St George's University of London, London, UK
  3. 3Medical Department III, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
  1. Correspondence to Dr Louise Cullen, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia; louise.cullen{at}health.qld.gov.au

Abstract

Methods to improve the safety, accuracy and efficiency of assessment of patients with suspected acute coronary symptoms have occupied decades of study and have supported significant changes in clinical practice. Much of the progress is reliant on results of laboratory-based high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays that can detect low concentrations with high precision. Until recently, point-of-care (POC) platforms were unable to perform with similar analytical precision as laboratory-based assays, and recommendations for their use in accelerated assessment strategies for patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome has been limited. As POC assays can provide troponin results within 20 min, and can be used proximate to patient care, improvements in the efficiency of assessment of patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome is possible, particularly with new high-sensitivity assays.

  • emergency department
  • assessment

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Footnotes

  • Handling editor Richard Body

  • Twitter @louiseacullen

  • Contributors All authors have fully participated in the concept, research, planning, development and writing of this manuscript.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests LC reports research grants awarded to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital from Abbott Diagnostics, Siemens and Beckman Coulter, and consulting fees/honoraria from Abbott Diagnostics, Beckman Coulter, Glycardial and Siemens Healthineers. POC is the associate editor of The Journal of Applied Laboratory Medicine and consultant to the IFCC Cardiac Biomarkers group, both non-remunerated positions. EG reports no competing interests.

  • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.