Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Emergency Medicine, Basaveshwara Medical College and Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Science (RGUHS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India

2 Department of Emergency Medicine, Ramaiah Medical College, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Science (RGUHS), Bangalore, Karnataka, India

Abstract

Objective: Chest pain is amongst the most frequently occurring symptoms in patients
presenting to the emergency department (ED). Accurate and fast risk stratification is
paramountforidentification of patients with immediate risk of acute coronary syndrome
(ACS). The present study has compared different scoring systems like HEART (History,
ECG,Age,Risk factors, Troponin), ThrombolysisinMyocardial Infarction (TIMI), andGlobal
RegistryofAcuteCoronaryEvents(GRACE)scores andtheir efficacyinpredicting incidence
of major adverse cardiac events(MACE).
Methods: The present prospective observational study was conducted on 199 patients
who presented in the ED with complaint of chest pain. HEART, GRACE and TIMI scores
were calculated with collected patient data which was further evaluated for efficacy by
calculating area under ROC curves (AUCs). Data were analyzed by using R statistical
software version 4.0.3 and Microsoft Excel. P value less than or equal to 0.05 indicates
statistical significance.
Results:Inthecurrentstudy,76(38%)patientsreportedMACE.TheHEARTscoreidentified
thelargestnumberofpatientsashighrisk74(37%)andamongthem69patientsdeveloped
aMACE.TheAUCofHEART scorewasthehighestwith0.96(95%CI:0.93-0.98),followedby
TIMIscore with 0.815 (95% CI: 0.75-0.873) and the GRACE score with 0.814 (95% CI: 0.75-
0.813). The sensitivity of HEART score of ≥7 for MACE wasfound to be 90.78%,specificity
was 95.96%, positive predictive value (PPV) was 93.24% and negative predictive value
(NPV) was 94.4%. The sensitivity of GRACE score was 39.4%, specificity was 95.16%, PPV
was 83.3% and NPV was 71.95%. The sensitivity of TIMI score was 30.2%, specificity was
95.96%, PPV was 82.14% and NPV was 69.18%.
Conclusion:TheHEARTscoreshowedhigherefficacyinpredictingrisklevelsinpatientsand
incidenceofMACE incomparisonwithGRACE andTIMIscoresintheincludedstudy cohort.

Keywords

Main Subjects

1. Zheng W, Wang G, Ma J, Wu S, Zhang H, Zheng J, et al. Evaluation and comparison of six GRACE models for the stratification of undifferentiated chest pain in the emergency department. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2020; 20:199. doi: 10.1186/s12872-020-01476-3.
2. Bhuiya FA, Pitts SR, McCaig LF. Emergency department visits for chest pain and abdominal pain: United States, 1999–2008. NCHS DataBrief 2010; (43): 1–8.
3. Skinner JS, Smeeth L, Kendall JM, Adams PC, Timmis A. NICE guidance. Chest pain of recent onset: assessment
and diagnosis of recent onset chest pain or discomfort of suspected cardiac origin. Heart 2010; 96(12): 974-8. doi:
10.1136/hrt.2009.190066.
4. Chen XH, Jiang HL, Li YM, Chan CP, Mo JR, Tian CW, et al. Prognostic values of 4 risk scores in Chinese patients with
chest pain: prospective 2-centre cohort study. Medicine 2016; 95(52): e4778. doi: 10.1097/md.0000000000004778.
5. Krishnan MN. Coronary heart disease and risk factors in India–On the brink of an epidemic? Indian Heart J 2012;
64(4): 364-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ihj.2012.07.001.
6. Gupta R, Mohan I, Narula J. Trends in coronary heart disease epidemiology in India. Ann Glob Health 2016;
82(2): 307-15. doi: 10.1016/j.aogh.2016.04.002.
7. Poldervaart JM, Langedijk M, Backus BE, Dekker IM, Six AJ, Doevendans PA, et al. Comparison of the GRACE,
HEART and TIMI score to predict major adverse cardiac events in chest pain patients at the emergency department. Int J Cardiol 2017; 227: 656-61. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.10.080.
8. Collet JP, Thiele H, Barbato E, Barthélémy O, Bauersachs J, Bhatt DL, et al. 2020 ESC Guidelines for the management
of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation: The Task Force for the
management of acute coronary syndromes in patients presenting without persistent ST-segment elevation of theEuropean Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eur Heart J 2021; 42(14): 1289-367. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa575.
9. Amsterdam EA, Kirk JD, Bluemke DA, Diercks D, Farkouh ME, Garvey JL, et al. Testing of low-risk patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.
Circulation 2010; 122(17): 1756-76. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0b013e3181ec61df.
10. Atherton JJ, Sindone A, De Pasquale CG, Driscoll A, MacDonald PS, Hopper I, et al. National Heart Foundation
of Australia and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand: guidelines for the prevention, detection, and management of heart failure in Australia 2018. Heart Lung Circ 2018; 27(10): 1123-208. doi: 10.1016/j.
hlc.2018.06.1042.
11. Wamala H, Aggarwal L, Bernard A, Scott IA. Comparison of nine coronary risk scores in evaluating patients presenting to hospital with undifferentiated chest pain. Int J Gen Med 2018; 11: 473-81. doi: 10.2147/IJGM.S183583
12. Alley W, Mahler SA. Clinical decision aids for chest pain in the emergency department: identifying low-risk patients.
Open Access Emerg Med 2015; 7: 85-92. doi: 10.2147/OAEM.S71282.
13. Khan R, Zarak MS, Munir U, Ahmed K, Ullah A. Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score assessment for complications in acute anterior wall ST elevation myocardial infarction. Cureus 2020; 12(6): e8646.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.8646.
14. Tang EW, Wong CK, Herbison P. Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) hospital discharge risk score accurately predicts long-term mortality post-acute coronary syndrome. Am Heart J 2007; 153(1): 29-35. doi:
10.1016/j.ahj.2006.10.004.
15. Damman P, van Geloven N, Wallentin L, Lagerqvist B, Fox KA, Clayton T, et al. Timing of angiography with a routine invasive strategy and long-term outcomes in non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome:a collaborative analysis of individual patient data from the FRISC II (Fragmin and Fast Revascularization During Instability in Coronary Artery Disease), ICTUS (Invasive Versus Conservative Treatment in Unstable Coronary Syndromes), and RITA-3 (Intervention Versus Conservative Treatment Strategy in Patients With Unstable Angina or Non-ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction) Trials. JACC Cardiovasc Interv 2012; 5(2): 191-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jcin.2011.10.016.
16. Than M, Cullen L, Aldous S, Parsonage WA, Reid CM, Greenslade J, et al. 2-Hour accelerated diagnostic protocol to assess patients with chest pain symptoms using contemporary troponins as the only biomarker: the ADAPT trial. J Am Coll Cardiol 2012; 59(23): 2091-8. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2012.02.035.
17. Mahler SA, Miller CD, Hollander JE, Nagurney JT, Birkhahn R, Singer AJ, et al. Identifying patients for early discharge: Performance of decision rules among patients with acute chest pain. Int J Cardiol 2013; 168(2): 795-802. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2012.10.010.
18. Long B, Oliver J, Streitz M, Koyfman A. An end-user’s guide to the HEART score and pathway. Am J Emerg Med
2017; 35(9): 1350-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2017.03.047.
19. Than M, Cullen L, Reid CM, Lim SH, Aldous S, Ardagh MW, et al. A 2-h diagnostic protocol to assess patients with
chest pain symptoms in the Asia-Pacific region (ASPECT): A prospective observational validation study. Lancet 2011;
377(9771): 1077-84. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60310-3.
20. Peterson JG, Topol EJ, Roe MT, Sapp SK, Lincoff AM, Deckers JW, et al. Prognostic importance of concomitant
heparin with eptifibatide in acute coronary syndromes. PURSUIT Investigators. Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa in
Unstable Angina: Receptor Suppression Using Integrilin Therapy. Am J Cardiol 2001; 87(5): 532-6. doi: 10.1016/
s0002-9149(00)01426-0.
21. Brady W, de Souza K. The HEART score: A guide to its application in the emergency department. Turk J Emerg
Med 2018; 18(2): 47-51. doi: 10.1016/j.tjem.2018.04.004.
22. Muthappan P, Rogers A, Eagle K. Using the GRACE risk scores in everyday practice. Am J Med 2012; 125(2): 144-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2011.06.018.
23. Morris AC, Caesar D, Gray S, Gray A. TIMI risk score accurately risk stratifies patients with undifferentiated
chest pain presenting to an emergency department. Heart 2006; 92(9): 1333-4. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2005.080226.
24. Chan Pin Yin D, Azzahhafi J, James S. Risk assessment using risk scores in patients with acute coronary syndrome.
J Clin Med 2020; 9(9): 3039. doi: 10.3390/jcm9093039.
25. Hindricks G, Potpara T, Dagres N, Arbelo E, Bax JJ, Blomström-Lundqvist C, et al. 2020 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation developed in collaboration with the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) The Task Force for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Developed with the special contribution of the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the ESC. Eur Heart J 2021; 42(5):373-498. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa612.
26. Sakamoto JT, Liu N, Koh ZX, Fung NX, Heldeweg ML, Ng JC, et al. Comparing HEART, TIMI, and GRACE
scores for prediction of 30-day major adverse cardiac events in high acuity chest pain patients in the emergency
department. Int J Cardiol 2016; 221: 759-64. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.07.147.
27. Backus BE, Six AJ, Kelder JC, Bosschaert MA, Mast EG, Mosterd A, et al. A prospective validation of the HEART
score for chest pain patients at the emergency department. Int J Cardiol 2013; 168(3): 2153-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2013.01.255.
28. Poldervaart JM, Reitsma JB, Backus BE, Koffijberg H, Veldkamp RF, Ten Haaf ME, et al. Effect of using the HEART score in patients with chest pain in the emergency department: A stepped-wedge, cluster randomized trial.
Ann Intern Med 2017; 166(10): 689-97. doi: 10.7326/M16-1600.
29. Leite L, Baptista R, Leitão J, Cochicho J, Breda F, Elvas L, et al. Chest pain in the emergency department: Risk
stratification with Manchester triage system and HEART score. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2015; 15: 48. doi: 10.1186/
s12872-015-0049-6.
30. Bodapati SN, Gunnarsson R, McBride WJ, Stone R, Sutcliffe S. Chest pain risk assessment in Indigenous and
non‐Indigenous Australians using HEART Score. Emerg Med Australas 2016; 28(2): 138-44. doi: 10.1111/1742-
6723.12527.
31. Torralba F, Navarro A, Castellanos-de la Hoz J, Ortiz C, Botero A, Alarcón F, et al. HEART, TIMI, and GRACE scores for prediction of 30-Day major adverse cardiovascular events in the era of high-sensitivity
troponin. Arq Bras Cardiol 2020; 114(5): 795-802. doi: 10.36660/abc.20190206.
32. Six AJ, Backus BE, Kelder JC. Chest pain in the emergency room: value of the HEART score. Neth Heart J 2008; 16(6):
191-6. doi: 10.1007/BF03086144.
33. Cullen L, Greenslade J, Hammett CJ, Brown AF, Chew DP, Bilesky J, et al. Comparison of three risk stratification
rules for predicting patients with acute coronary syndrome presenting to an Australian emergency department.
Heart Lung Circ 2013; 22(10): 844-51. doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2013.03.074.