A/Prof Robert Meek PhD FACEM is an academic at Monash University, and an emergency physician with Monash Health, Melbourne, Australia. He has practiced emergency medicine for almost forty years and is currently the research lead at the Victorian Heart Hospital cardiac emergency. His research in chest pain pathways and the use of cardiac biomarkers has progressed over the last fifteen years from evaluations of multiple concurrent biomarkers, to accelerated diagnostic pathways using clinical risk stratification, to pathway comparisons between conventional and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays, and now between lab-based and point-of-care high-sensitivity assays. The aim of this sequential research has always been to safely streamline the diagnostic approach for myocardial infarction in the emergency department. If reduced lengths of stay for patients with suspected MI can be achieved, the emergency medicine future will be improved through enhanced patient flow, with consequent improved clinician morale and a better patient experience.
