Description:
The use of serum markers in the
patient with chest pain (CP) was first demonstrated in the 1950s, first the
SGOT (now referred to as AST) and then LDH (LD). Both these assays measured the
amount of enzyme in the serum that had been released from the tissue. Such was the
situation until the early 1960s when CK (CPK) was introduced as a better
marker. Therefore, measuring both CK (or total CK) and the MB fraction and
calculating the percent of the two improved the laboratory’s role in assessing
the CP patient. This article compares the various markers available to test for
cardiac damage in patients with chest pain.
Learning Objectives:
- Discuss markers that have been proposed as indicators of
risk for cardiac cell damage
- Discuss the use of serum markers
- Reflect on case examples of serum markers
Author(s):
David Plaut
Launched: 2007