Abstract

Background:Risk assessment for patients admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is usually based on the past medical history, along with several clinical and biochemical criteria. We hypothesised that stratification of patients with ACS according to the presence of ST-segment depression and results of a qualitative troponin I test would identify subjects with more severe disease who may benefit from an earlier, more aggressive strategy.Material/Methods:The study group consisted of 115 patients hospitalized for typical chest pain (>5 min) occurring within the last 24 hours, with coronary angiography. Blood was drawn for routine biochemistry and qualitative troponin I testing, and ECG was performed on admission.Results:Patients were classified according to the presence of ST segment depression (ST) and the troponin I test results (T) into three categories: group A, consisting of 34 patients with ST+/T+; group B, consisting of 84 patients with either ST+/T– or ST–/T+; and group C, consisting of 7 subjects with ST–/T–. This stratification correlated significantly with the extent of coronary artery disease (p=0.0004). Significant coronary artery stenosis was significantly more prevalent in patients from groups A and B than in C (p

Keywords: Cohort Studies, Coronary Arteriosclerosis - blood, Coronary Arteriosclerosis - classification, Coronary Arteriosclerosis - diagnosis, Coronary Stenosis - blood, Coronary Stenosis - classification, Coronary Stenosis - diagnosis, Electrocardiography, Risk Factors, Syndrome, Troponin I - blood