[Usefulness of copeptin in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome in the emergency department of a tertiary hospital].

OBJECTIVES

This study was conducted in order to evaluate the usefulness of copeptin (a stable fragment of the precursor of arginine vasopressin) in the differential diagnosis of acute chest pain of probable coronary origin.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study includes 82 patients who were initially evaluated according to the protocol of a patient with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in our Emergency Department, including the determination of troponin and copeptin with specimens taken on admission (time 0) and at 6h.

RESULTS

Statistically significant differences were observed in copeptin concentrations at time 0 among patients diagnosed with non-ST-segment elevation (NTEACS): 42.1±38.7pmol/L and non-NSTEACS patients: 15.6±21.2pmol/L (P<. 01). However, the differences did not reach statistical significance at 6h (P=.093). The analysis of the area under the ROC curve for Copeptin in NSTEACS patients at time 0 was 0.713, with a confidence interval of 95% from 0.592 to 0.834 and a significance level of P=.001.

CONCLUSIONS

The concentration of copeptin represents an additional value in the differentiation between NSTEACS patients and non-NSTEACS patients, as well as between ACS patients and patients with stable angina. The cut-off point of 10pmol/L provides the best values for sensitivity, negative predictive value (NPV), positive likelihood ratio (LR+), and negative likelihood ratio (LR-) in the diagnosis of NSTEACS patients.