Background: Assessment of non-cardiac chest pain places a considerable burden on healthcare resources. The current practice of serial electrocardiographs (ECGs), serum creatinine phosphokinase and by pre-discharge exercise electrocardiography gives an average in-hospital stay of 3.7 days.
Aims: This study assess the use of a sensitive assay for cardiac troponin I (cTnI) to identify a low risk group for whom exercise ECG may not be indicated.
Method: Ninety-five patients with acute chest pain and with peak cTnI < 0.1 ng/ml and a non-diagnostic resting ECG were studied. Patients were divided into two groups. Group one had normal range cTnI (< 0.03 ng/ml). Group two had minimal elevation of cTnI (0.03-0.099 ng/ml). Average follow-up was 172 days.
Results: Nineteen patients had minimal elevation in cTnI of whom five developed significant ST shift on exercise and five had adverse events. No patient with a normal range cTnI had a positive stress test and none suffered an adverse event (p < 0.001).
Conclusion: CTnI in the normal range can identify patients with acute chest pain who have a negligible event rate and for whom exercise electrocardiography is not required.