EXPEDITED REVIEW
Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography Versus Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction Score in Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Chest Pain and a Nondiagnostic Electrocardiogram
Khim Leng Tong, MD*,
Sanjiv Kaul, MD, FACC*,
Xin-Qun Wang, MS ,
Diana Rinkevich, MD, FACC*,
Saul Kalvaitis, MD*,
Todd Belcik, RDCS*,
Wolfgang Lepper, MD*,
William A. Foster, MD* and
Kevin Wei, MD, FACC*,*
* Cardiovascular Imaging Center, Cardiovascular Division
Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Department of Health Evaluation Sciences, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia
Manuscript received May 6, 2004;
revised manuscript received March 27, 2005,
accepted March 29, 2005.
* Reprint requests and correspondence: Dr. Kevin Wei, Cardiovascular Division, OHSU, UHN62, SW Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, Oregon 97239 (Email: weik{at}OHSU.edu).
Presented in part at the Samuel Levine Young Investigator Award Competition at the 77th Annual Scientific Session of the American Heart Association, New Orleans, Louisiana. Drs. Kaul and Wei are currently located at the Cardiovascular Division, OHSU, Portland, Oregon.
OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that regional function (RF) and myocardial perfusion (MP) are superior to the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score for diagnosis and prognostication in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain (CP) and a nondiagnostic electrocardiogram.
BACKGROUND: Rapid diagnosis and prognostication is difficult in patients presenting to the ED with suspected cardiac CP.
METHODS: Contrast echocardiography was performed to assess RF and MP on 957 patients presenting to the ED with suspected cardiac CP and a nondiagnostic electrocardiogram. A modified TIMI (mTIMI) score was calculated from six immediately available variables. A full TIMI score also was derived after troponin levels were able to be accessed adequately. Follow-up was performed for early (within 24 h), intermediate (30 day), and late primary (death and myocardial infarction) or secondary (unstable angina and revascularization) events.
RESULTS: The mTIMI score was unable to discriminate between intermediate- compared to high-risk patients at any follow-up time point, whereas only 2 of 523 patients with normal RF had an early primary event. Regional function provided incremental prognostic value over mTIMI scores for predicting intermediate and late events. In patients with abnormal RF, MP further classified patients into intermediate- and high-risk groups. The full TIMI score could not improve upon these results at any follow-up time point.
CONCLUSIONS: Contrast echocardiography can rapidly and accurately provide short-, intermediate-, and long-term prognostic information in patients presenting to the ED with suspected cardiac CP even before serum cardiac markers are known. Integrating contrast echocardiography into the ED evaluation of CP may improve the risk stratification of such patients.
|
Abbreviations and Acronyms
| | AMI = acute myocardial infarction | | CE = contrast echocardiography | | CP = chest pain | | ECG = electrocardiogram | | ED = emergency department | | LV = left ventricular | | MP = myocardial perfusion | | mTIMI = modified Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction | | RF = regional function | | TIMI = Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction |
|
Related Article
-
Ischemic Versus Nonischemic Chest Pain in the Emergency Room: Echoes of Contrast
- Mani A. Vannan and Jagat Narula
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2005 46: 928-929.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
This article has been cited by other articles:

|
 |

|
 |
 
E. A. Amsterdam, J. D. Kirk, D. A. Bluemke, D. Diercks, M. E. Farkouh, J. L. Garvey, M. C. Kontos, J. McCord, T. D. Miller, A. Morise, et al.
Testing of Low-Risk Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department With Chest Pain: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Circulation,
October 26, 2010;
122(17):
1756 - 1776.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
E. P. Hess, D. Agarwal, S. Chandra, M. H. Murad, P. J. Erwin, J. E. Hollander, V. M. Montori, and I. G. Stiell
Diagnostic accuracy of the TIMI risk score in patients with chest pain in the emergency department: a meta-analysis
Can. Med. Assoc. J.,
July 13, 2010;
182(10):
1039 - 1044.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
F. A. Flachskampf and W. G. Daniel
Cardiac imaging in the patient with chest pain: echocardiography
Heart,
July 1, 2010;
96(13):
1063 - 1072.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
T. R. Porter and F. Xie
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging With Contrast Ultrasound
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Img.,
February 1, 2010;
3(2):
176 - 187.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
K. Wei
Utility Contrast Echocardiography in the Emergency Department
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Img.,
February 1, 2010;
3(2):
197 - 203.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Kaul
Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography: A Wondrous Journey!
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. Img.,
February 1, 2010;
3(2):
212 - 218.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
T. R. Porter
The utilization of ultrasound and microbubbles for therapy in acute coronary syndromes
Cardiovasc Res,
September 1, 2009;
83(4):
636 - 642.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. T. Laing and D. D. McPherson
Cardiovascular therapeutic uses of targeted ultrasound contrast agents
Cardiovasc Res,
September 1, 2009;
83(4):
626 - 635.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Kaul and K. Wei
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging,
August 1, 2009;
10(6):
713 - 715.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
F. J Th Wackers
Chest pain in the emergency department: role of cardiac imaging
Heart,
June 15, 2009;
95(12):
1023 - 1030.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
F. M. Asch and N. J. Weissman
Overview of the 2008 Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committee on Safety Considerations in the Development of Ultrasound Contrast Agents
Circulation,
April 14, 2009;
119(14):
1956 - 1961.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
F. Xie, J. Lof, T. Matsunaga, R. Zutshi, and T. R. Porter
Diagnostic Ultrasound Combined With Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa-Targeted Microbubbles Improves Microvascular Recovery After Acute Coronary Thrombotic Occlusions
Circulation,
March 17, 2009;
119(10):
1378 - 1385.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R. Senior, H. Becher, M. Monaghan, L. Agati, J. Zamorano, J. L. Vanoverschelde, and P. Nihoyannopoulos
Contrast echocardiography: evidence-based recommendations by European Association of Echocardiography
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging,
March 1, 2009;
10(2):
194 - 212.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. S. Dolan, S. S. Gala, S. Dodla, S. S. Abdelmoneim, F. Xie, D. Cloutier, M. Bierig, S. L. Mulvagh, T. R. Porter, and A. J. Labovitz
Safety and Efficacy of Commercially Available Ultrasound Contrast Agents for Rest and Stress Echocardiography: A Multicenter Experience
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.,
January 6, 2009;
53(1):
32 - 38.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R. C. Cury, K. Shash, J. T. Nagurney, G. Rosito, M. D. Shapiro, C. H. Nomura, S. Abbara, F. Bamberg, M. Ferencik, E. J. Schmidt, et al.
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance With T2-Weighted Imaging Improves Detection of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Emergency Department
Circulation,
August 19, 2008;
118(8):
837 - 844.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
S. Kaul
Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography: A 25-Year Retrospective
Circulation,
July 15, 2008;
118(3):
291 - 308.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
B. A. Kaufmann, C. Lewis, A. Xie, A. Mirza-Mohd, and J. R. Lindner
Detection of recent myocardial ischaemia by molecular imaging of P-selectin with targeted contrast echocardiography
Eur. Heart J.,
August 2, 2007;
28(16):
2011 - 2017.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
R. Olszewski, J. Timperley, S. Cezary, M. Monaghan, P. Nihoyannopoulis, R. Senior, and H. Becher
The clinical applications of contrast echocardiography
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging,
June 1, 2007;
8(3):
s13 - s23.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
D. J. Rakhit, H. Becher, M. Monaghan, P. Nihoyannopoulis, and R. Senior
The clinical applications of myocardial contrast echocardiography
Eur Heart J Cardiovasc Imaging,
June 1, 2007;
8(3):
s24 - s29.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
P. A. Dijkmans, R. Senior, H. Becher, T. R. Porter, K. Wei, C. A. Visser, and O. Kamp
Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography Evolving as a Clinically Feasible Technique for Accurate, Rapid, and Safe Assessment of Myocardial Perfusion: The Evidence So Far
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.,
December 5, 2006;
48(11):
2168 - 2177.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. E. Weyman
The Year in Echocardiography
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.,
February 21, 2006;
47(4):
856 - 863.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
A. N. DeMaria, O. Ben-Yehuda, D. Berman, G. K. Feld, G. S. Ginsburg, B. H. Greenberg, W. Y.W. Lew, D. Sahn, and S. Tsimikas
Highlights of the Year in JACC 2005
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.,
January 3, 2006;
47(1):
184 - 202.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
Contrast Echo for Chest Pain in the ED?
Journal Watch Cardiology,
October 21, 2005;
2005(1021):
6 - 6.
[Full Text]
|
 |
|

|
 |

|
 |
 
M. A. Vannan and J. Narula
Ischemic Versus Nonischemic Chest Pain in the Emergency Room: Echoes of Contrast
J. Am. Coll. Cardiol.,
September 6, 2005;
46(5):
928 - 929.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
|
 |
|
|