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Acute Coronary SyndromeHEART PathwayNCT01665521

Efficacy Evaluation of the HEART Pathway in Emergency Department Patients With Acute Chest Pain

A study testing HEART Pathway in people with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Chest Pain, run by Wake Forest University Health Sciences at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Our research will examine a chest pain care strategy, called the HEART pathway, which is designed to correctly identify Emergency Department patients at high-risk for cardiovascular events, likely to benefit from further testing, and patients at very-low-risk for cardiovascular events, who may be safely discharged… Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Acute Coronary Syndrome, Chest Pain
What is being tested?
HEART Pathway
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
282 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2012to 15 Jan 2018
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 21 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age greater than or equal to 21 years
  • Chest discomfort or other symptoms consistent with possible ACS
  • The treating physician feels the patient could be discharged home if cardiac disease was excluded
  • ED attending physicians

Who cannot join

  • New ST-segment elevation in contiguous leads on any electrocardiogram (>/= 1 mV)
  • Unstable vitals signs: symptomatic hypotension at the time of enrollment (systolic < 90 mm Hg), tachycardia (HR>120), bradycardia (HR<40), and hypoxemia (<90% pulse-oximetry on room air or normal home oxygen flow rate)
  • Terminal diagnosis with life expectancy less than 1 year
  • A non-cardiac medical, surgical, or psychiatric illness determined by the provider to require admission, increase risk of objective cardiac testing, or prevent immediate discharge following negative testing.
  • Prior enrollment
  • Incapacity or unwillingness to provide consent and comply with study procedures
Show all 9Show fewer
  • Non-English speaking
  • Sub-study I \& II
  • ED attending physicians who decline to participate

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Wake Forest Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center - Emergency Department

    Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27157

Other trials in United States

About this study

Our research will examine a chest pain care strategy, called the HEART pathway, which is designed to correctly identify Emergency Department patients at high-risk for cardiovascular events, likely to benefit from further testing, and patients at very-low-risk for cardiovascular events, who may be safely discharged home. By using an individual's risk assessment to determining testing, we hope to improve the quality and efficiency of the care delivered to Emergency Department patients with chest pain. Our study will determine if the HEART pathway, which combines a clinical decision rule, the HEART score, and two serial troponin measurements, will reduce stress testing and cardiovascular imaging, decrease hospital length of stay, and reduce cost compared to usual care, while maintaining safety.

Read the detailed description

Approximately 8-10 million patients complaining of chest pain present to an Emergency Department (ED) annually in the United States. The total cost of chest pain evaluations has been estimated at $5-10 billion annually, yet only 10% of these patients are ultimately diagnosed with an acute coronary syndrome. American College of Cardiology/ American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines recommend that patients at low-risk for acute coronary syndrome should receive serial cardiac markers followed by objective cardiac testing (stress testing or cardiac imaging). However, many have questioned the value of objective cardiac testing in all low-risk patients.Cardiac testing for all patients at low-risk for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is not sustainable from a healthcare quality or economic perspective. In addition to increasing costs, objective cardiac testing is associated with a substantial number of false positive and non-diagnostic tests, which lead to additional unnecessary and often invasive procedures.

Implementation of accurate risk stratification care pathways designed to eliminate unnecessary cardiac testing could improve the efficiency and quality of care by decreasing false positive/non-diagnostic testing, radiation, and costs. The HEART pathway, which combines a clinical decision rule, the HEART score, and two serial troponin measurements, is a recently developed care pathway designed to identify chest pain patients for early discharge without objective testing.

Primary Hypothesis: The HEART Pathway, when compared to usual care, will reduce 30 day objective cardiac testing, hospital length of stay, and cost, while maintaining patient safety.

Methods: Participants (n=282) at risk for ACS will be recruited into a clinical trial from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center (WFBMC) ED. Patients will be equally randomized to HEART Pathway or Usual Care. HEART Pathway participant's treating physician will follow HEART Pathway guidelines for identifying patients to be admitted to the hospital or observation unit for cardiac testing or to be discharged home without testing. Usual Care participant's treating physicians will decide whether the patients should be discharged home or admitted to the hospital or observation unit based on ACC/AHA guidelines without using the HEART pathway.

Being tested
HEART Pathway
Keywords
Acute Coronary Syndrome, Chest pain, Risk Stratification, HEART Pathway, Emergency Department
Medical subject headings
Acute Coronary Syndrome, Chest Pain, Emergencies

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • HEART PathwayOther

    During ED evaluation, patients are randomized to HEART Pathway or usual care arms.

Study groups in NCT01665521
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
HEART PathwayExperimentalThe HEART Pathway will be used for real time clinical decision making. Physicians will receive care recommendations according to the HEART Pathway, based on HEART score and serial cardiac biomarkers. This will help physicians identify low-risk patients for early discharge with no objective cardiac testing.
Receives: Other: HEART Pathway
Usual CareNo interventionConventional Care cardiac testing. Patients will undergo cardiac testing as determined by their treating physicians.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Objective cardiac testing (stress testing or cardiac imaging) within 30 days

    Rate of objective cardiac testing within 30 days

    Measured: 30 Days

Secondary outcomes (6)
  1. Cost, length of stay, recurrent ED visits and non-index hospitalization for chest pain.

    Measured: 30 Days

  2. Objective cardiac testing (stress testing or cardiac imaging), cost, length of stay, and recurrent ED visits and non-index hospitalization for chest pain.

    Measured: 1 Year

  3. Index objective cardiac testing rate

    proportion of patients receiving any stress testing modality, coronary computed tomography angiography, or invasive catheter angiography at the index visit

    Measured: Duration of Index Hospitalization, average of 1 to 2 days

  4. Index Hospital Admission Rate

    Proportion of patients hospitalized for admission or observation during the index visit

    Measured: Duration of Index Hospitalization, average of 1 to 2 days

  5. Early discharge rate

    Proportion of patients that are discharged from the Emergency Department without meeting the composite endpoint of index hospital admission or index objective cardiac testing

    Measured: Duration of Index Hospitalization, average of 1 to 2 days

  6. Composite of 30 day hospital admission and objective cardiac testing

    Measured: 30 Days

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted15 Aug 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2012
  3. Primary completion20 Feb 2016
  4. Study completion15 Jan 2018

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
282 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01665521
Sponsor's protocol ID
IRB00021074
Other IDs
12CRP12000001
Acronym
HEART Pathway
Status last verified
Aug 2018
First submitted
7 Aug 2012
Last updated
4 Mar 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No

Publications

  • Rosamond W, Flegal K, Friday G, Furie K, Go A, Greenlund K, Haase N, Ho M, Howard V, Kissela B, Kittner S, Lloyd-Jones D, McDermott M, Meigs J, Moy C, Nichol G, O'Donnell CJ, Roger V, Rumsfeld J, Sorlie P, Steinberger J, Thom T, Wasserthiel-Smoller S, Hong Y; American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics--2007 update: a report from the American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Circulation. 2007 Feb 6;115(5):e69-171. doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.106.179918. Epub 2006 Dec 28. No abstract available.

    PubMed 17194875
  • McCaig LF, Nawar EW. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2004 emergency department summary. Adv Data. 2006 Jun 23;(372):1-29.

    PubMed 16841785
  • Owens PL, Barrett ML, Gibson TB, Andrews RM, Weinick RM, Mutter RL. Emergency department care in the United States: a profile of national data sources. Ann Emerg Med. 2010 Aug;56(2):150-65. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2009.11.022. Epub 2010 Jan 15.

    PubMed 20074834
  • Pope JH, Aufderheide TP, Ruthazer R, Woolard RH, Feldman JA, Beshansky JR, Griffith JL, Selker HP. Missed diagnoses of acute cardiac ischemia in the emergency department. N Engl J Med. 2000 Apr 20;342(16):1163-70. doi: 10.1056/NEJM200004203421603.

    PubMed 10770981
  • Pines JM, Isserman JA, Szyld D, Dean AJ, McCusker CM, Hollander JE. The effect of physician risk tolerance and the presence of an observation unit on decision making for ED patients with chest pain. Am J Emerg Med. 2010 Sep;28(7):771-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2009.03.019. Epub 2010 Feb 25.

    PubMed 20837253
  • Fleischmann KE, Goldman L, Johnson PA, Krasuski RA, Bohan JS, Hartley LH, Lee TH. Critical pathways for patients with acute chest pain at low risk. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2002 Apr;13(2):89-96. doi: 10.1023/a:1016246814235.

    PubMed 12101386
  • Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, Adams RJ, Berry JD, Brown TM, Carnethon MR, Dai S, de Simone G, Ford ES, Fox CS, Fullerton HJ, Gillespie C, Greenlund KJ, Hailpern SM, Heit JA, Ho PM, Howard VJ, Kissela BM, Kittner SJ, Lackland DT, Lichtman JH, Lisabeth LD, Makuc DM, Marcus GM, Marelli A, Matchar DB, McDermott MM, Meigs JB, Moy CS, Mozaffarian D, Mussolino ME, Nichol G, Paynter NP, Rosamond WD, Sorlie PD, Stafford RS, Turan TN, Turner MB, Wong ND, Wylie-Rosett J; American Heart Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics--2011 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011 Feb 1;123(4):e18-e209. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0b013e3182009701. Epub 2010 Dec 15.

    PubMed 21160056
  • Goldstein JA, Gallagher MJ, O'Neill WW, Ross MA, O'Neil BJ, Raff GL. A randomized controlled trial of multi-slice coronary computed tomography for evaluation of acute chest pain. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Feb 27;49(8):863-71. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2006.08.064. Epub 2007 Feb 12.

    PubMed 17320744
  • Farkouh ME, Smars PA, Reeder GS, Zinsmeister AR, Evans RW, Meloy TD, Kopecky SL, Allen M, Allison TG, Gibbons RJ, Gabriel SE. A clinical trial of a chest-pain observation unit for patients with unstable angina. Chest Pain Evaluation in the Emergency Room (CHEER) Investigators. N Engl J Med. 1998 Dec 24;339(26):1882-8. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199812243392603.

    PubMed 9862943
  • Heller GV, Stowers SA, Hendel RC, Herman SD, Daher E, Ahlberg AW, Baron JM, Mendes de Leon CF, Rizzo JA, Wackers FJ. Clinical value of acute rest technetium-99m tetrofosmin tomographic myocardial perfusion imaging in patients with acute chest pain and nondiagnostic electrocardiograms. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1998 Apr;31(5):1011-7. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(98)00057-6.

    PubMed 9562001
  • Sprivulis PC, Da Silva JA, Jacobs IG, Frazer AR, Jelinek GA. The association between hospital overcrowding and mortality among patients admitted via Western Australian emergency departments. Med J Aust. 2006 Mar 6;184(5):208-12. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00416.x.

    PubMed 16515429
  • Miro O, Antonio MT, Jimenez S, De Dios A, Sanchez M, Borras A, Milla J. Decreased health care quality associated with emergency department overcrowding. Eur J Emerg Med. 1999 Jun;6(2):105-7. doi: 10.1097/00063110-199906000-00003.

    PubMed 10461551
  • Braunwald E, Antman EM, Beasley JW, Califf RM, Cheitlin MD, Hochman JS, Jones RH, Kereiakes D, Kupersmith J, Levin TN, Pepine CJ, Schaeffer JW, Smith EE 3rd, Steward DE, Theroux P, Gibbons RJ, Alpert JS, Faxon DP, Fuster V, Gregoratos G, Hiratzka LF, Jacobs AK, Smith SC Jr; American College of Cardiology; American Heart Association. Committee on the Management of Patients With Unstable Angina. ACC/AHA 2002 guideline update for the management of patients with unstable angina and non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction--summary article: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association task force on practice guidelines (Committee on the Management of Patients With Unstable Angina). J Am Coll Cardiol. 2002 Oct 2;40(7):1366-74. doi: 10.1016/s0735-1097(02)02336-7. No abstract available.

    PubMed 12383588
  • Anderson JL, Adams CD, Antman EM, Bridges CR, Califf RM, Casey DE Jr, Chavey WE 2nd, Fesmire FM, Hochman JS, Levin TN, Lincoff AM, Peterson ED, Theroux P, Wenger NK, Wright RS, Smith SC Jr, Jacobs AK, Adams CD, Anderson JL, Antman EM, Halperin JL, Hunt SA, Krumholz HM, Kushner FG, Lytle BW, Nishimura R, Ornato JP, Page RL, Riegel B; American College of Cardiology; American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the 2002 Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Unstable Angina/Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction); American College of Emergency Physicians; Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions; Society of Thoracic Surgeons; American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation; Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. ACC/AHA 2007 guidelines for the management of patients with unstable angina/non-ST-Elevation myocardial infarction: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Revise the 2002 Guidelines for the Management of Patients With Unstable Angina/Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction) developed in collaboration with the American College of Emergency Physicians, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons endorsed by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2007 Aug 14;50(7):e1-e157. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2007.02.013. No abstract available.

    PubMed 17692738
  • Ellestad MH, Savitz S, Bergdall D, Teske J. The false positive stress test. Multivariate analysis of 215 subjects with hemodynamic, angiographic and clinical data. Am J Cardiol. 1977 Nov;40(5):681-5. doi: 10.1016/0002-9149(77)90182-5. No abstract available.

    PubMed 920605

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing HEART Pathway in people with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Chest Pain, run by Wake Forest University Health Sciences at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 9 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Mar 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Objective cardiac testing (stress testing or cardiac imaging) within 30 days (time frame: 30 Days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01665521, which also lists 56 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Mar 2022.

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