New heart attack test assessed

New research commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research's Health Technology Assessment (NIHR HTA) programme is investigating a new blood test for helping diagnose or rule out heart attacks.

Acute chest pain is one of the most common reasons for emergency hospital admissions. Many cases are eventually found to be due to causes other than heart attack, but current tests are often unable to rule out heart attack quickly and the patient has to be admitted to hospital before a diagnosis can be confirmed. The RATPAC trial, the largest of its kind, aims to find out whether using a point-of-care cardiac marker panel (a machine that can be used by a doctor or nurse at a patient's bedside) can more quickly and accurately confirm or rule out heart attacks to help address this problem.

There is evidence to suggest that measuring three different tests at two different times, 90 minutes apart, using a point-of-care cardiac marker panel can rapidly and reliably rule out a heart attack in selected low-risk patients. Led by Professor Steve Goodacre of the University of Sheffield, researchers in the £716,000 study will evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the test in six NHS hospitals. They will compare a group of patients who receive the point of care blood test with a group of patients who receive standard, currently available tests.

Researchers will assess the rate of admission to hospital in each group to find out whether the new test improves diagnosis and reduces unnecessary hospital admissions. They will also send questionnaires to all participants in the research to ask about their quality of life and satisfaction with care received, and review patient case notes and computer records to identify any serious events, such as subsequent heart attacks.

"Acute chest pain is one of the most common reasons for people to have to go to hospital as an emergency, and it is important that doctors are able to make a diagnosis quickly, allowing early treatment for people with a heart attack and avoiding unnecessary hospital admission for those without," says Professor Goodacre. "We hope that the results of our study will provide the NHS with important evidence to help inform the care of patients with acute chest pain."

To view full details about the project visit www.hta.ac.uk/project/1602.asp