Evaluation of acute chest pain in the emergency department: "triple rule-out" computed tomography angiography

Advantages of Photon-Counting Detector CT in Aortic Imaging

Photon-counting Computed Tomography (PCCT) is a promising imaging technique. Using detectors that count the number and energy of photons in multiple bins, PCCT offers several advantages over conventional CT, including a higher image quality, reduced contrast agent volume, radiation doses, and artifacts. Although PCCT is well established for cardiac imaging in assessing coronary artery disease, its application in aortic imaging remains limited. This review summarizes the available literature and provides an overview of the current use of PCCT for the diagnosis of aortic imaging, focusing mainly on endoleaks detection and characterization after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR), contrast dose volume, and radiation exposure reduction, particularly in patients with chronic kidney disease and in those requiring follow-up CT.

Triple rule-out computed tomography angiography: Evaluation of acute chest pain in COVID-19 patients in the emergency department

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study was to define clinical evidence supporting that triple rule-out computed tomography angiography (TRO CTA) is a comprehensive and feasible diagnostic tool in patients with novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) for acute chest pain. Optimizing diagnostic imaging strategies in COVID-19 related thromboembolic events, will help for rapid and noninvasive diagnoses and results will be effective for patients and healthcare systems in all aspects.

AIM

To define clinical evidence supporting that TRO CTA is a comprehensive and feasible diagnostic tool in COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the ED for acute chest pain, and to assess outcomes of optimizing diagnostic imaging strategies, particularly TRO CTA use, in COVID-19 related thromboembolic events.

METHODS

TRO CTA images were evaluated for the presence of coronary artery disease, pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE), or acute aortic syndromes. Statistical analyses were used for evaluation of significant association between the variables. A two tailed P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

Fifty-three patients were included into the study. In 31 patients (65.9%), there was not any pathology, while PTE was diagnosed in 11 patients. There was no significant relationship between the rates of pathology on CTA and history of hypertension. On the other hand, the diabetes mellitus rate was much higher in the acute coronary syndrome group, particularly in the PTE group (8/31 = 25.8% vs 6/16 = 37.5%, P = 0.001). The rate of dyslipidemia was significantly higher in the group with pathology on CTA while compared to those without pathology apart from imaging findings of the pneumonia group (62.5% vs 38.7%, P < 0.001). Smoking history rates were similar in the groups. Platelets, D-dimer, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate values were higher in COVID-19 cases with additional pathologies.

CONCLUSION

TRO CTA is an effective imaging method in evaluation of all thoracic vascular systems at once and gives accurate results in COVID-19 patients.

Computed Tomographic Angiography for Risk Stratification in Patients with Acute Chest Pain - The Triple Rule-out Concept in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUND

Acute chest pain is one of the most common reasons for Emergency Department (ED) visits and hospital admissions. As this could represent the first symptom of a lifethreatening condition, urgent identification of the etiology of chest pain is of utmost importance in emergency settings. Such high-risk conditions that can present with acute chest pain in the ED include Acute Coronary Syndromes (ACS), Pulmonary Embolisms (PE) and Acute Aortic Syndromes (AAS).

DISCUSSION

The concept of Triple Rule-out Computed Tomographic Angiography (TRO-CTA) for patients presenting with acute chest pain in the ED is based on the use of coronary computed tomographic angiography as a single imaging technique, able to diagnose or exclude three lifethreatening conditions in one single step: ACS, AAS and PE. TRO-CTA protocols have been proved to be efficient in the ED for diagnosis or exclusion of life-threatening conditions and for differentiation between various etiologies of chest pain, and application of the TRO-CTA protocol in the ED for acute chest pain of uncertain etiology has been shown to improve the further clinical evaluation and outcomes of these patients.

CONCLUSION

This review aims to summarize the main indications and techniques used in TRO protocols in EDs, and the role of TRO-CTA protocols in risk stratification of patients with acute chest pain.

Imaging in patients with suspected acute heart failure: timeline approach position statement on behalf of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology

Acute heart failure is one of the main diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in clinical practice due to a non-specific clinical manifestation and the urgent need for timely and tailored management at the same time. In this position statement, the Heart Failure Association aims to systematize the use of various imaging methods in accordance with the timeline of acute heart failure care proposed in the recent guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology. During the first hours of admission the point-of-care focused cardiac and lung ultrasound examination is an invaluable tool for rapid differential diagnosis of acute dyspnoea, which is highly feasible and relatively easy to learn. Several portable and stationary imaging modalities are being increasingly used for the evaluation of cardiac structure and function, haemodynamic and volume status, precipitating myocardial ischaemia or valvular abnormalities, and systemic and pulmonary congestion. This paper emphasizes the central role of the full echocardiographic examination in the identification of heart failure aetiology, severity of cardiac dysfunction, indications for specific heart failure therapy, and risk stratification. Correct evaluation of cardiac filling pressures and accurate prognostication may help to prevent unscheduled short-term readmission. Alternative advanced imaging modalities should be considered to assist patient management in the pre- and post-discharge phase, including cardiac magnetic resonance, computed tomography, nuclear studies, and coronary angiography. The Heart Failure Association addresses this paper to the wide spectrum of acute care and heart failure specialists, highlighting the value of all available imaging techniques at specific stages and in common clinical scenarios of acute heart failure.

Clinical update. Computed Tomography — an Emerging Tool for Triple Rule-Out in the Emergency Department. A Review

New imaging tools have been developed in recent years to rapidly and accurately diagnose life-threatening diseases associated with high mortality rates, such as acute coronary syndromes, acute aortic dissection, or pulmonary embolism. The concept of using computed tomographic (CT) assessment in emergency settings is based on the possibility of excluding multiple acute pathologies within one scan. It can be used for patients complaining of acute chest pain of unclear etiology with the possible association of acute coronary dissection or pulmonary embolism, but only a low to moderate risk of developing an acute coronary syndrome. One of the benefits of this protocol is the possibility of decreasing the number of patients who are hospitalized for further investigations. The technique also allows the rapid triage of patients and the safe discharge of those who show negative results. The aim of this review is to summarize the current medical literature regarding the potential use of CT for the triple rule-out (TRO) of coronary etiologies.

Triple rule-out computed tomography for risk stratification of patients with acute chest pain

AIMS

Clinical evidence supporting triple rule-out computed tomography (TRO-CT) for rapid screening of cardiovascular disease is limited. We investigated the clinical value of TRO-CT in patients with acute chest pain.

METHODS

We retrospectively enrolled 1024 patients who visited the emergency department (ED) with acute chest pain and underwent TRO-CT using a 128-slice CT system. TRO-CT was classified as "positive" if it revealed clinically significant cardiovascular disease including obstructive coronary artery disease, pulmonary thromboembolism, or acute aortic syndrome. The clinical endpoint was occurrence of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) within 30 days, defined by a composite of all cause death, myocardial infarction, revascularization, major cardiovascular surgery, or thrombolytic therapy. Clinical risk scores for acute chest pain including TIMI, GRACE, Diamond-Forrester, and HEART were determined and compared to the TRO-CT findings.

RESULTS

TRO-CT revealed clinically significant cardiovascular disease in 239 patients (23.3%). MACE occurred in 119 patients (49.8%) with positive TRO-CT and in 7 patients (0.9%) with negative TRO-CT (p < 0.001). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of TRO-CT was 95%, 88%, 54%, and 99%, respectively. TRO-CT was a better discriminator between patients with vs. without events as compared to clinical risk scores (c-statistics = 0.91 versus 0.64 to 0.71; integrated discrimination improvement = 0.31 to 0.37; p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Patients with a negative TRO-CT showed shorter ED stay times and admission rates compared to patients with positive TRO-CT, irrespective of clinical risk scores (p < 0.001 for all comparisons).

CONCLUSION

Triple rule-out CT has high predictive performance for 30-day MACE and permits rapid triage and low admission rates irrespective of clinical risk scores.

Imaging Techniques in Acute Heart Failure

In recent years, imaging techniques have revolutionized the diagnosis of heart failure. In patients with a clinical picture of acute decompensation, prognosis is largely determined by early implementation of general measures and treatment of the underlying cause. Given its diagnostic yield and portability, ultrasound has become an essential tool in the setting of acute heart failure, and is currently found in all medical departments involved in the care of the critically ill patient. Cardiac magnetic resonance and computed tomography allow detailed characterization of multiple aspects of cardiac structure and function that were previously unavailable. This helps guide and monitor many of the treatment decisions in the acute heart failure population in an entirely noninvasive way. This article aims to review the usefulness of the imaging techniques that are clinically relevant in the context of an episode of acute heart failure. We discuss the indications and limitations of these techniques in detail and describe the general principles for the appropriate interpretation of results.

Korean guidelines for the appropriate use of cardiac CT

The development of cardiac CT has provided a non-invasive alternative to echocardiography, exercise electrocardiogram, and invasive angiography and cardiac CT continues to develop at an exponential speed even now. The appropriate use of cardiac CT may lead to improvements in the medical performances of physicians and can reduce medical costs which eventually contribute to better public health. However, until now, there has been no guideline regarding the appropriate use of cardiac CT in Korea. We intend to provide guidelines for the appropriate use of cardiac CT in heart diseases based on scientific data. The purpose of this guideline is to assist clinicians and other health professionals in the use of cardiac CT for diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases, especially in patients at high risk or suspected of heart disease.