Background: A troponin assay is commonly sent for patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Multiple studies suggest that elevated troponin levels do not predict coronary artery disease in these patients. Patients with elevated troponins are more likely to have additional cardiac testing, which can lead to increased health care costs and unnecessary invasive procedures.
Objective: Our objective was to evaluate low- to intermediate-risk patients (HEART [history, electrocardiography, age, risk factors and troponin] Score 1-6) presenting to the ED with SVT. Our hypothesis was that an elevated troponin would not predict major adverse cardiac events (MACE), but would be associated with increased hospital admission rates and lengths of stay.
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of adult patients who presented with SVT to a large, urban, academic hospital ED over 4 years who had a troponin result. A total of 46 patients were included in the study.
Results: Patients with a positive troponin (>0.05 ng/mL) had a hospital admission rate of 86% versus 21% for patients with negative troponin (p = 0.006); rate of cardiology consult of 86% versus 21% (p < 0.001); and a mean total length of stay of 4157 min versus 1347 min (p = 0.04). At 3 months, none of the patients with a positive troponin had an MACE, death from any cause, or positive results of cardiac testing.
Conclusions: Patients with a positive troponin result had significantly more admissions, cardiology consults, and longer hospital stays. These patients did not have an increased prevalence of MACE.
Keywords: health care utilization; supraventricular tachycardia; troponin.
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