Original research has sought to validate the accuracy of the newly developed 0-h/1-h algorithm, using highly-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT), to diagnose myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Patients with heart attack symptoms account for approximately 10 percent of all emergency room visits. Delays in diagnosing the condition hinder the administration of prompt care, while delays in ruling out heart attack as the possible cause of symptoms interfere with the evaluation of other diagnoses and treatments, potentially leading to medical errors, unnecessary costs, and overcrowding of the emergency department.
In order to investigate the efficacy of the new diagnostic method, a global multicenter study was conducted with patients with suspected heart attack symptoms. Blood samples were drawn from the patients, who had diverse medical histories, within 45 minutes of the presentation of symptoms, with additional samples drawn after one hour, two hours, and four to 14 hours.
The hs-cTNT 0-hour/1-hour algorithm uses hs-cTnT blood concentrations at presentation and their absolute changes within 1 hour to triage patients to rule-out status, the observational zone, or rule-in status. The results of the blood tests were not shared with the treating physician. The results of the s-cTnI-ultra, but not those of hs-cTnT, were available to adjudicating cardiologists.
Of nearly 1,300 patients admitted in the study, only about 16 percent of them were diagnosed with myocardial infarction. The study concluded that the hs-cTnT 0-hour/1-hour algorithm performed very well for early rule-out and rule-in of acute heart attack.
If you or a loved one have been harmed as a result of a delayed diagnosis, please contact The Law Offices of Dr. Michael M. Wilson M.D., J.D. & Associates to speak with a Washington, DC medical malpractice attorney.
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Dr. Michael M. Wilson is an attorney and a physician who earned his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his legal and medical degrees from Georgetown University. He has focused in the area of medical malpractice for more than three decades and secured more than $100 million in settlements and verdicts on behalf of clients throughout the country. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and New York as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and the U.S. Supreme Court. He is listed in America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators.
