Paramedic PapersHome Cardiac (non-arrest) POC troponin on ambulances: fewer ED visits
Cardiac (non-arrest)
POC troponin on ambulances: fewer ED visits
Cost-effectiveness of prehospital high-sensitivity troponin i testing versus standard emergency department care in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome in France
Health Economics Review · 2026-07-25 · Added 22 October 2026
A French economic model built on 737 patients found prehospital point-of-care high-sensitivity troponin reduced ED attendance (90.9% vs 96.7%) and ED length of stay (1.63 vs 2.76 hours) versus standard care for suspected acute coronary syndrome.
- Study type
- Modelling
- Design
- Decision-analytic semi-Markov model
- Participants
- 737 patients with suspected ACS from the French VALIDATE cohort
- Main finding
- ED attendance fell 5.8 percentage points (90.9% vs 96.7%, p<0.001) and mean ED stay dropped from 2.76 to 1.63 hours with prehospital hs-cTnI
- Caveat
- A 24-hour horizon that excluded inpatient, ICU and procedural costs, so only short-term economics were captured
- Bottom line
- Context only
Why it matters in Australia (Medium relevance). Prehospital troponin testing is not part of Australian ambulance practice, and this models a physician-dispatched French system, but it sketches what a POC-troponin pathway could buy if trialled here.
Learning goal
Weigh the benefits and limitations of prehospital point-of-care troponin testing in my assessment of suspected chest pain.
More
- Topic: Cardiac (non-arrest)
- Daily scan: 22 October 2026
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