The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH) in Glasgow has become the first hospital in Scotland, and one of the first major Emergency Departments in the UK, to introduce Point-of-Care (POC) high-sensitivity troponin testing, marking a significant step forward in emergency cardiac care.
This new bedside testing system delivers cardiac blood test results in under 15 minutes, compared to up to 90 minutes through traditional laboratory testing.
The innovation, as part of the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Way Forward Programme, supports a new, faster Emergency Department-only chest pain pathway, enabling clinicians to make safe decisions earlier for patients presenting with suspected cardiac chest pain, the department’s single largest group of attendances.
By speeding up diagnosis and treatment decisions, this initiative aims to reduce overcrowding, improve patient flow, and enhance the overall experience for patients in one of Scotland’s busiest Emergency Departments.
The project has been led by Dr Andrew Saunders, Emergency Medicine Consultant, and Dr Faheem Ahmad, Cardiology Consultant and West of Scotland Cardiology Innovation Lead. They collaborated with NHSGGC, POCT Laboratory Services, eHealth, the West of Scotland Innovation Hub, and Abbott.
Dr Andrew Saunders, said: “Chest pain is the most common reason for attendance at our Emergency Department. By introducing rapid point-of-care testing, we can make decisions faster, improve patient safety, and reduce waiting times for thousands of people every year.”
Dr Faheem Ahmad, said: “This pilot is an important step in modernising emergency cardiac care and demonstrates the value of our close collaboration between NHS GGC and the West of Scotland Innovation Hub. The lessons learnt from this groundbreaking work at the QEUH will help inform expansion to other NHSGGC sites and across NHS Scotland as a whole.”
