Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine the 2-year prognostic value of cardiac computed tomography (CT) for predicting major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute chest pain.
BACKGROUND: CT has high potential for early triage of acute chest pain patients. However, there is a paucity of data regarding the prognostic value of CT in this ED cohort.
METHODS: We followed 368 patients from the ROMICAT (Rule Out Myocardial Infarction Using Computer Assisted Tomography) trial (age 53 ± 12 years; 61% male) who presented to the ED with acute chest pain, negative initial troponin, and a nonischemic electrocardiogram for 2 years. Contrast-enhanced 64-slice CT was obtained during index hospitalization, and caregivers and patients remained blinded to the results. CT was assessed for the presence of plaque, stenosis (>50% luminal narrowing), and left ventricular regional wall motion abnormalities (RWMA). The primary endpoint was MACE, defined as composite cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization.
RESULTS: Follow-up was completed in 333 patients (90.5%) with a median follow-up period of 23 months. At the end of the follow-up period, 25 patients (6.8%) experienced 35 MACE (no cardiac deaths, 12 myocardial infarctions, and 23 revascularizations). Cumulative probability of 2-year MACE increased across CT strata for coronary artery disease (CAD) (no CAD 0%; nonobstructive CAD 4.6%; obstructive CAD 30.3%; log-rank p
CONCLUSIONS: CT coronary and functional features predict MACE and have incremental prognostic value beyond clinical risk score in ED patients with acute chest pain. The absence of CAD on CT provides a 2-year MACE-free warranty period, whereas coronary stenosis with RWMA is associated with the highest risk of MACE.