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Background: Magnetocardiography (MCG) may provide a rapid diagnostic option for patients presenting with chest pain in the emergency department (ED). Case summaries: This case series presents two instances from a multicenter study, where MCG could have served as a rapid, non-invasive diagnostic tool for chest pain patients. In both cases, multiple high-sensitivity troponin (hsTn) tests yielded incorrect evidence of ischemia. In the first case, multiple positive hsTn tests led to the patient requiring 23 h of observation care, while MCG rapidly ruled out acute coronary syndrome (ACS). In the second case, MCG revealed findings indicative of cardiac ischemia where serial ECGs did not indicate ischemia and serial hsTns were normal. Subsequent cardiac catheterization confirmed 99 % stenosis in the patient's left main and left anterior descending arteries, necessitating coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Conclusion: MCG offers a rapid, painless, non-invasive, radiation free assessment for patients presenting with acute chest pain. Integrating MCG into ED workflows has the potential to improve throughput, reduce the need for subsequent patient observation or inpatient admission, and minimize or eliminate the need for other more expensive non-invasive cardiac testing. MCG avoids some of the problems associated with other methods for diagnosing ischemia. MCG does not involve radiation or the use of pharmacologic agents which have a risk for allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, or the need for an intravenous line. Stress tests are frequently contraindicated or unable to be performed in patients on various medications, may require patient cooperation and in the case of exercise stress tests, the patient's capability to exercise. MCG requires no special patient preparation. |
