Munson Healthcare will be transitioning to a state-of-the-art high-sensitivity troponin assay in April 2022. The high-sensitivity troponin (hs-TnI) assay will replace our current troponin lab series beginning April 12, 2022.
Chest pain is one of the most frequent reasons patients present to the Emergency Department. The evaluation often involves a significant length of time after which 80-90% of cases are ultimately found not to have a myocardial infarction (MI). The development of hs-TnI testing has allowed creation of accelerated diagnostic protocols to evaluate patients with chest pain significantly faster allowing rapid differentiation of low-risk from high-risk patients.
These accelerated diagnostic protocols based on hs-TnI testing have been extensively studied in Europe for over a decade and have a strong body of evidence supporting their utility and safety. The same assays have now been approved for use in the United States allowing us to bring this tool to the Munson Healthcare system.
“Implementation of high-sensitivity troponin testing is a paradigm shift in the assessment of patients with possible myocardial injury. Our new assay and diagnostic algorithm will allow triage of 65-70% of patients into either a 'low risk' or 'high risk' group within 2 hours,” said Dino Recchia, MD, FACC; Department Chair, Cardiology, Munson Medical Center. “This is a game-changer for assessing patients presenting to the ED with possible acute coronary syndrome.”
Thank you to the multi-disciplinary team, including representatives from Cardiology, Emergency Medicine, Lab, Nursing, Clinical Informatics, and many others, who have been working to ensure a smooth transition for this new process.
For more on what you need to know as MHC transitions to high-sensitivity troponin testing, click here.
Additionally, please watch the March 15 Tuesday Grand Rounds with faculty Dr. Dino Recchia, Munson Healthcare Cardiologist. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and is now available for On-Demand CME. MHC’s On-Demand courses are available on our CME portal, eeds, under the On-Demand tab.
Stay tuned for additional communication and specific educational opportunities.