CHARACTERISTICS OF CREATINE RELEASE DURING ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION, UNSTABLE ANGINA, AND CARDIAC-SURGERY

Creatine release was compared in various conditions of muscle damage: acute myocardial infarction (AMI), unstable angina, and cardiac surger y. After AMI, serum and urine creatine concentrations increased transi ently. After cardiopulmonary resuscitation, serum creatine values were significantly higher because of impaired renal function, whereas urin ary creatine concentrations were comparable. In 38 patients with unsta ble angina, no significant changes in serum and urine creatine concent rations were seen. In 37 of 92 AMI patients, secondary creatine peaks were observed 20.9 +/- 8.1 h after onset of symptoms. The magnitudes o f the first and second peaks were correlated: Spearman r = 0.66. In 24 patients who underwent cardiac surgery; the changes in creatine conce ntration in serum during surgery were very small, despite the presence of muscle trauma.