Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Cardiac troponin is a protein released from heart cells during or just prior to a heart attack. Therefore, it is the most common blood test used in the hospital for diagnosing a heart attack. There are other blood tests that may be used to provide additional information besides troponin. For example, research has shown that a simple glucose measurement and other blood tests used in patients with diabetes may also identify patients at high-risk. Therefore, we are currently working to validate the data from a large, multi-center study on over 1900 patients who came into the ED with chest pain and look at their troponin and glucose when they arrive and three hours later. We are also following these patients for up to six months after their initial ED visit to determine if the patients had a heart attack or other serious heart problems. The results of this study should allow a simple risk model to be developed and economic analyses to be performed. Thus, this study will select the most optimal blood tests both in regards to cost and clinical outcomes to be used in the emergency setting.