Tissue Doppler Evaluation of Diastolic Dysfunction in Emergency Department Acute Coronary Syndromes: The TEDDy-ED pilot study.

Chest pain is a common reason for presentation to the emergency department and admission to hospital. Even when this chest pain is due to acute coronary syndrome (heart attack), it is not always clear how dangerous this might be. Australian guidelines propose a number of features that help judge severity and guide treatment. However, there is increasing evidence that impaired heart relaxation is an early sign of heart attack. This can be diagnosed using ultrasound and might be a very sensitive test to identify patients in danger.

This project aims to perform detailed ultrasound assessment of heart relaxation and filling, so we may grade the level of risk in emergency department patients admitted to hospital with suspected heart attack. Comparison will be made with common laboratory tests including troponin and b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP).