Angina Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Angina, including details on symptoms, treatment, causes, prevention, surgery.

Bedside evaluation of cardiac markers. Point-of-care testing can differentiate acute coronary syndromes.

Amsterdam EA, Deedwania P

University of California, Davis, School of Medicine, USA. eaamsterdam@ucdavis.edu

Accurate and rapid diagnostic tests can help identify high-risk patients with ACS among those presenting to the emergency department with chest pain. Such tests can also differentiate low-risk patients with chest pain who are suitable for early emergency department discharge. In this article, Drs Amsterdam and Deedwania elucidate the varieties of ACS, their pathophysiology, and the methods used for diagnosis. The authors also explore the potential of point-of-care testing for cardiac injury markers in the timely and accurate identification of ACS.

Published 5 October 2005 in Postgrad Med, 118(3): 15-6, 19-22.

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