Diagnostic value of a heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) bedside test in suspected acute coronary syndrome in primary care.

Background: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of a rapid heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) test in patients suspected of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in primary care.

Methods: General practitioners included 298 patients suspected of ACS. In all patients, whether referred to hospital or not, ECG and cardiac biomarker testing was performed.

Heart-type Fatty acid-binding protein in Acute Myocardial infarction Evaluation (FAME): background and design of a diagnostic study in primary care.

Background: Currently used biomarkers for cardiac ischemia are elevated in blood plasma after a delay of several hours and therefore unable to detect acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in a very early stage. General practitioners (GPs), however, are often confronted with patients suspected of ACS within hours after onset of complaints. This ongoing study aims to evaluate the added diagnostic value beyond clinical assessment for a rapid bedside test for heart-type fatty-acid binding protein (H-FABP), a biomarker that is detectable as soon as one hour after onset of ischemia.