High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Assays: From Implementation to Resource Utilization and Cost Effectiveness

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Biomarker Technology

Background:

• Cardiac troponin is the gold-standard biomarker for acute myocardial infarction (MI) diagnosis.
• High-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays represent an advancement in diagnostic technology.
• Accelerated diagnostic pathways are being developed to improve MI evaluation efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide practical guidance for implementing hs-cTn assays.
• To review accelerated diagnostic pathways utilizing hs-cTn assays.
• To assess the impact of hs-cTn assays on resource utilization and cost-effectiveness in MI evaluation.

Main Methods:

• This study is a narrative review.
• It synthesizes current literature on hs-cTn assay implementation and application.
• It discusses the integration of hs-cTn assays into clinical practice.

Main Results:

• hs-cTn assays can significantly improve the efficiency of diagnosing or excluding acute MI.
• Accelerated diagnostic pathways incorporating hs-cTn assays show promise for rapid patient assessment.
• The transition to hs-cTn assays impacts resource utilization and cost-effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Hospitals are increasingly adopting hs-cTn assays.
• This narrative review highlights the potential benefits of transitioning to hs-cTn assays for acute MI evaluation.