Comparison between man and machine in the case of acute coronary syndrome and acute myocardial infarction detection in a chest pain cohort in the emergency department

Acute myocardial infarction is a major cause of death and disability. Its rapid and reliable diagnosis is a major clinical need. The electrocardiogram and the measurement of myocardial enzymes are among others two important diagnostic methodologies to decide further management of chest pain patient after their presentation at the emergency department each having its strengths and drawbacks (e.g. detection accuracy versus time needed until possible decision). We wanted to know if it is with today's current technology possible to replace the human decision blinded to clinical information after the patient's initial presentation at the emergency department by an automatic diagnosis only based on one single electrocardiogram. We compared both decision results against an independent reference based on all clinically acquired parameters including a patient follow-up.