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Acute Coronary Syndromes tools from the guidelines

Assessment protocols and algorithm for health care professionals

These assessment protocols and algorithm for health care professionals have been developed from the latest National Heart Foundation of Australia and Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand: Australian Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Acute Coronary Syndromes 2016.
The Australian Clinical Guidelines for the Management of ACS make a strong recommendation that patients presenting with acute chest pain – or other symptoms suggestive of ACS – should receive care guided by an evidence-based Suspected ACS Assessment Protocol that includes formal risk stratification.  

Three assessment protocols have been developed for suspected ACS: 
Point-of-care assay  Download PDF
Sensitive lab-based assay  Download PDF
Highly sensitive lab-based assay  Download PDF
In patients with confirmed STEMI, the immediate priority is initiation of an emergency reperfusion strategy to improve short and long-term survival, and cardiac function.  

The ACS guidelines make a strong recommendation that for patients with STEMI presenting within 12 hours of symptom onset, emergency reperfusion therapy with either primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or fibrinolytic therapy is recommended. The exception being: the absence of advanced age, frailty and co-morbidities that influence the individual’s overall survival. In this scenario, emergency reperfusion therapy with either primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or fibrinolytic therapy is recommended. 
Guidance on decision-making and timing considerations in reperfusion for STEMIDownload algorithm (PDF)

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