Emergency Department Triage of Patients With Acute Chest Pain Based on the ESC 0/1-hour Algorithm (PRESC1SE-MI)

The PRESC1SE-MI study compares two algorithms for triage of patients presenting with chest pain and symptoms of heart attack (myocardial infarction) to the emergency department. Both algorithms are recommended by the European Society of Cardiology: the 0/3-hour algorithm and the 0/1-hour algorithm.

Currently, most emergency departments worldwide use the 0/3-hour troponin algorithm. Cardiac troponin (cTn) is a heart-specific biomarker which indicates damage of the heart muscle and which increases after a heart attack. In the 0/3-hour algorithm, the amount of troponin in the bloodstream is measured with a high-sensitivity assay at admission and 3 hours thereafter. Likewise, the 0/1-hour algorithm means that the blood sample in which the troponin is measured is collected at admission and 1 hour later. Since recent clinical studies suggest that the 0/1-hour algorithm is superior to the 0/3-hour algorithm, many hospitals consider switching to the 0/1-hour algorithm.

The aim of this study is to assess how feasible the time-saving 0/1-hour algorithm would be in reality and whether it provides the same accuracy and safety in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction as the current practice the 0/3-hour algorithm.