# Risk scores and coronary artery disease in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome and intermediate cardiac troponin concentrations

## TL;DR

This study evaluates how well risk scores identify coronary artery disease in patients with intermediate troponin levels after ruling out heart attacks.

## Contribution

The study assesses the diagnostic performance of multiple risk scores in a specific patient group with intermediate troponin concentrations.

## Key findings

- TIMI risk score ≥1 had the highest odds ratio for obstructive coronary artery disease.
- GRACE score >88 had the highest positive predictive value among the scores tested.
- TIMI score of 0 had the highest negative predictive value for ruling out coronary artery disease.

## Abstract

Guidelines recommend the use of risk scores to select patients for further investigation after myocardial infarction has been ruled out but their utility to identify those with coronary artery disease is uncertain.

In a prospective cohort study, patients with intermediate high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I concentrations (5 ng/L to sex-specific 99th percentile) in whom myocardial infarction was ruled out were enrolled and underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA) after hospital discharge. History, ECG, Age, Risk factors, Troponin (HEART), Emergency Department Assessment of Chest Pain Score (EDACS), Global Registry of Acute Coronary Event (GRACE), Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI), Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation 2 and Pooled Cohort Equation risk scores were calculated and the odds ratio (OR) and diagnostic performance for obstructive coronary artery disease were determined using established thresholds.

Of 167 patients enrolled (64±12 years, 28% female), 29.9% (50/167) had obstructive coronary artery disease. The odds of having obstructive disease were increased for all scores with the lowest and highest increase observed for an EDACS score ≥16 (OR 2.2 (1.1–4.6)) and a TIMI risk score ≥1 (OR 12.9 (3.0–56.0)), respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) was low for all scores but was highest for a GRACE score >88 identifying 39% as high risk with a PPV of 41.9% (30.4–54.2%). The negative predictive value (NPV) varied from 77.3% to 95.2% but was highest for a TIMI score of 0 identifying 26% as low risk with an NPV of 95.2% (87.2–100%).

In patients with intermediate cardiac troponin concentrations in whom myocardial infarction has been excluded, clinical risk scores can help identify patients with and without coronary artery disease, although the performance of established risk thresholds is suboptimal for utilisation in clinical practice.

NCT04549805.https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04549805