Publications by authors named "Paul Collinson"

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the analytical and diagnostic performance of a high-sensitivity point-of-care (POC) cardiac troponin I assay, the Quidel TriageTrue™ (QuidelOrtho Inc, San Diego, USA), compared to central laboratory testing (CLT) in accelerated diagnostic protocols (ADP) in real time in a clinical environment.

Methods: In a nested sub-study of a pragmatic randomised control trial, consecutive patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and chest pain <12 h duration were randomised to the ESC 0/1 and 0/3-h ADP. Subjects underwent sampling for Quidel TriageTrue POC hs-TnI whole blood and plasma, CLT hs-TnT Roche Elecsys and a validated, NICE approved CLT High sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-TnI) (Siemens Attellica) at each time point.

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Patients presenting with chest pain represent a significant proportion of Emergency Department (ED) attendances but only a minority, typically 10%, have a final diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). Prompt discharge of patients without MI will alleviate ED overcrowding as well as improve patient satisfaction and reduce exposure to risk of hospital acquired infections such as Covid 19. The measurement of cardiac troponin (cTn) by a high sensitivity method is recommended by the National Institute for health and Care Excellence (NICE) for rapid categorization of patients presenting with chest pain.

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Background: Measurement of cardiac troponin (cTn) by a high sensitivity method is now the recommended strategy for the detection of myocardial injury. An international survey was undertaken to assess how this has been implemented.

Methods: A questionnaire based around 14 domains on cardiac biomarkers was distributed electronically with the aid of professional societies accessed by a web link within the invitation.

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Natriuretic peptides (NP) play an essential role in heart failure (HF) regulation, and their measurement has improved diagnostic and prognostic accuracy. Clinical symptoms and objective measurements, such as NP levels, should be included in the HF definition to render it more reliable and consistent among observers, hospitals, and healthcare systems. BNP and NT-proBNP are reasonable surrogates for cardiac disease, and their measurement is critical to early diagnosis and risk stratification of HF patients.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study evaluated the real-world effectiveness and safety of the ESC 0/3-hour accelerated diagnostic protocol (ADP) for suspected acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in emergency departments.
  • Following implementation, the rate of patients discharged from the emergency department significantly increased from 27.1% to 56.5%, with no significant rise in major adverse cardiac events (MACE).
  • Results showed a reduction in overall length of stay and improved efficiency in testing, highlighting the protocol's potential for safe early discharges in emergency care.
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  • Cardiac troponin tests are crucial for diagnosing heart attacks and assessing long-term heart disease risk, but reporting accurate low concentrations poses challenges.
  • The IFCC C-CB highlights the need for high-sensitivity assays for low troponin levels, emphasizing their role in accelerated diagnostic pathways for efficient patient management.
  • Improvements in analytical quality for low troponin concentrations are necessary for better patient care, requiring collaboration among labs, manufacturers, and quality assessment organizations.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study aims to evaluate a new 0/1 hour high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) algorithm using a point-of-care (POC) device compared to standard lab tests for diagnosing acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the Emergency Department (ED).
  • It will be a single-center randomized clinical trial involving 1500 patients, focusing on key outcomes like safety, efficiency, cost-effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and impact on quality of life.
  • The findings could help improve the use of POC hs-cTn testing in EDs, potentially influencing outpatient and prehospital care through faster and more effective diagnostic protocols.
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Background: Unstable angina (UA), considered historically a marker of high risk, has rarely been studied in the high sensitive troponin era. We sought to characterise this population and determine short- and medium-term outcomes for UA and compared this to both patients with musculoskeletal chest pain and adjudicated type 1 MI (NSTEMI).

Method: We conducted a post-hoc analysis of 2 prospective cohort studies of suspected acute coronary syndrome in 2 hospitals in the northwest of England.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Different guidelines suggest varying thresholds for hs-cTn concentrations, with some recommending lower levels to identify more low-risk patients.
  • * It is essential that patients are at least 2 hours post-symptom onset before evaluation, and extra caution should be taken for older adults, women, and individuals with pre-existing heart conditions.
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Aims: Whether a single cardiac troponin measurement can safely rule out myocardial infarction in patients presenting within a few hours of symptom onset is uncertain. The study aim was to assess the performance of troponin in early presenters.

Methods And Results: In patients with possible myocardial infarction, the diagnostic performance of a single measurement of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I at presentation was evaluated and externally validated in those tested ≤3, 4-12, and >12 h from symptom onset.

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Article Synopsis
  • The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry (IFCC C-CB) creates educational resources to help clinical laboratories properly use and understand cardiac biomarkers, focusing on their analytical and clinical relevance.
  • Measurements of cardiac troponin (cTn) are crucial in evaluating patients for acute coronary syndrome, making it vital for labs to identify and address analytical problems.
  • Two major issues causing falsely elevated cTn levels are macrotroponin, resulting from long-lived cTn-antibody complexes, and heterophilic antibodies, which can distort assay results; the document outlines how to detect and interpret these interferences.
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The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboarator Medicine (IFCC) Committee on Clinical Applications of Cardiac Bio-Markers (C-CB) has provided evidence-based educational resources to aid and improve the understanding of important analytical and clinical aspects of cardiac biomarkers. The present IFCC C-CB educational report focuses on recommendations for appropriate use, analytical performance, and gaps in clinical studies related to the use of cardiac troponin (cTn) by point of care (POC) measurement, often referred to as a point of care testing (POCT). The use of high-sensitivity (hs)-cTn POC devices in accelerated diagnostic protocols used in emergency departments or outpatient clinics investigating acute coronary syndrome has the potential for improved efficacy, reduction of length of stay and reduced costs in the health care system.

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Objective: To determine the utility of a highly sensitive troponin assay when utilized in the emergency department.

Methods: The FAST-TRAC study prospectively enrolled >1,500 emergency department patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome within 6 hours of symptom onset and 2 hours of emergency department presentation. It has several unique features that are not found in the majority of studies evaluating troponin.

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The 2021 American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/American Society of Echocardiography/American College of Chest Physicians/Society for Academic Emergency Medicine/Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography/Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance guidelines for the evaluation and diagnosis of acute chest pain make important recommendations that include the recognition of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) as the preferred biomarker, endorsement of 99th percentile upper reference limits to define myocardial injury, and the use of clinical decision pathways, as well as acknowledgment of the uniqueness of women and other patient subsets. Details on how to integrate hs-cTn into clinical practice are less extensively addressed. Clinicians should be aware of some of the analytical aspects related to hs-cTn assays regarding the limit of detection and the limit of quantitation and how they are used clinically, especially for the single sample strategy to rule out acute myocardial infarction.

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The International Federation of Clinical Chemistry Committee on Clinical Application of Cardiac Bio-Markers provides evidence-based educational documents to facilitate uniform interpretation and utilization of cardiac biomarkers in clinical laboratories and practice. The committee's goals are to improve the understanding of certain key analytical and clinical aspects of cardiac biomarkers and how these may interplay in clinical practice. Measurement of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays is a cornerstone in the clinical evaluation of patients with symptoms and/or signs of acute cardiac ischemia.

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The introduction of high sensitivity measurement of cardiac troponin T (hs cTnT) and cardiac troponin I (hs cTnI) has given the laboratory the ability to measure very low levels of cardiac troponin. The limit of detection of these assays is well below the 99th percentile. These low levels can also be measured with small values of imprecision.

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The benefit and utility of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction in patients with kidney impairment is unclear. Here, we describe implementation of hs-cTnI testing on the diagnosis, management, and outcomes of myocardial infarction in patients with and without kidney impairment. Consecutive patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome enrolled in a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized controlled trial were included in this pre-specified secondary analysis.

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Aims: The timely diagnosis and exclusion of acute coronary syndromes in the Emergency Department (ED) remains a challenge. This study aims to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I assay (Siemens TNIH) on serial sampling for ED patients as standalone test and in rule-out algorithms as recommendations remain assay specific.

Methods And Results: This secondary analysis from a prospective diagnostic accuracy study at 14 centres included ED patients presenting with chest pain of suspected cardiac nature.

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