Question

1, Outline the role of serum cardiac biomarkers in the diagnosis and risk stratification of ACS.

Answer 1

Cardiac biomarkers are now used as a main diagnostic strategy for acute coronary syndrome or acute heart diseases like angina or myocardial infarction.

Important cardiac biomarkers are CKMB , troponin I , troponin T , brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) .

These biomarkers are normal components of cardiac muscle tissue and when cardiac tissues are damaged they are released into the circulation signifying heart damage.

In Acute Coronary syndrome due to plaque rupture and Coronary vessel blockage the blood supply to the heart muscle is stopped and it undergoes hypoxia and further damage and necrosis causing biomarkers like CKMB, TROPONIN I and T, BNP to be released into the circulation. So increase in these biomarkers signifies heart damage or failure.

RISK STRATIFICATION- early identification of slight increase in these biomarkers rules out minimal myocardial damage . If not intervened properly it can go into acute myocardial infarction , heart failure .

We can also rule out short term and long term morbidity and mortality with these biomarkers