USEFULNESS OF POSITIVE TROPONIN-T AND NEGATIVE CREATINE-KINASE LEVELSIN IDENTIFYING HIGH-RISK PATIENTS WITH UNSTABLE ANGINA-PECTORIS

Sixty percent of patients with unstable angina are at low risk, but 10 % to 20% have conditions that progress to nonfatal myocardial infarcti on or death within 6 months of diagnosis.(1) An early serum marker str atifying the patient with unstable angina into low or high risk should prove cost-effective py shortening me length of stay for low-risk pat ients and identifying those high-risk patients requiring hospitalizati on and revascularization. This study identifies patients who have nega tive enzyme criteria for acute myocardial infarction with negative cre atine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and compares 6-month cardiac event rates in th ose with normal to those with elevated serum troponin-T levels.