Utility and diagnostic accuracy of hand-carried ultrasound for emergency room evaluation of chest pain

Am J Cardiol. 2004 Aug 1;94(3):408-9. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2004.04.052.

Abstract

This study examined the utility and accuracy of immediate hand-carried echocardiography in patients presenting to the emergency room with chest pain and a normal or nondiagnostic electrocardiogram. Hand-carried echocardiography was highly concordant (kappa = 0.8) with troponin T tests as well as the discharge diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, had a 100% sensitivity for the detection of acute coronary syndrome, 93% specificity, and 71% and 100% positive and negative predictive values, respectively.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Chest Pain / diagnosis
  • Chest Pain / diagnostic imaging*
  • Echocardiography, Doppler / instrumentation
  • Echocardiography, Doppler / statistics & numerical data*
  • Electrocardiography
  • Emergency Service, Hospital*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / diagnosis*
  • Point-of-Care Systems*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Troponin T / blood

Substances

  • Troponin T