Diagnostics at the point-of-care in general practice: acute cardiopulmonary symptoms

General practitioners would like to use more rapid tests, particularly to help them make decisions about patients with acute heart and lung problems. Unfortunately, there is limited and unconvincing evidence at the moment to suggest that the use of rapid tests by general practitioners would lead to more accurate diagnoses and improved policies for patients with acute heart and lung problems. The Marburg Heart Score, a simple clinical tool, cannot exclude acute heart damage in a referenced population suspected of acute coronary syndrome (oxygen deficiency in the heart). We argue that further research on diagnosing patients with acute heart and lung problems should focus on a strategy that combines a clinical tool with a rapid test.