Does CK-MB Have Prognostic Value in Patients with MI?

Poor methodology mars the authors’ conclusion that patients with MI that meets CK-MB criteria are likely to have worse ventricular function than those with MI that meets only troponin-based criteria.

The use of biomarkers to evaluate patients with suspected myocardial infarction has evolved considerably during the past decade. Troponin has replaced creatine kinase and its MB fraction (CK-MB) because it is a more sensitive and more specific biomarker and the only biomarker incorporated into the WHO definition of acute MI. However, whether elevated CK-MB is useful in predicting the risk for or severity of heart failure among patients with MI is not known.

Researchers prospectively identified patients who presented with troponin T values ≥0.03 ng/mL to hospitals in a single Minnesota county during 2002 to 2006. Patients who consented to participate in the study underwent echocardiography, CK-MB testing, and serial troponin measurement. Of 4…

Reviewing Author

Aaron E. Bair, MD, MSc, FAAEM, FACEP