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The 2nd most common reason for EMS activation is chest pain. In this study, paramedics were asked to complete the HEAR (history, EKG, age, risk factor) score, EDACS (ED Assessment of chest pain score), the Revised Geneva Score and the PERC (Pulmonary embolism rule-out criteria) for all patients older than 21 who presented with chest pain. The positive and negative likelihood ratios (LR) of the risk scores in relation to 30 day MACE and PE risk were calculated.
837 patients were included in this study with 687 patients having all 4 scores completed. The combination of HEAR/PERC had the best negative LR (0.25) for ruling our MACE and PE at 30 days. However, these scores, alone or in combination, were not sufficient to exclusively guide treatment or destination decisions. Adding biomarkers (ie troponin or Ddimer to the prehospital setting) could improve the usefulness of these scores.
References
Stopyra JP, Snavely AC, Ashburn NP, et al. Performance of Prehospital Use of Chest Pain Risk Stratification Tools: The RESCUE Study. Prehosp Emerg Care. 2023;27(4):482-487. doi:10.1080/10903127.2022.2036883