Cardiac Biomarkers Are The Substances Released By The Heart Into Blood Stream When It Experiences Damage Or Stress
Cardiac Biomarkers Cardiac biomarkers are circulating proteins that are produced by the heart. They are produced when tissue damage or necrosis occurs in the heart, such as in myocardial infarction. Myoglobin is one such protein and it is not specific to myocardial infarction. Creatine kinase and troponin are also detected in blood within 3-4 hours of myocardial infarction. Myoglobin is a hemeprotein found in both skeletal and cardiac muscle. Myoglobin levels increase first in the heart, which is why Cardiac Biomarkers are considered early markers of heart attack. However, myoglobin increases after noncardiac trauma and may not be used alone as a marker for heart attacks. So, it may not be the best choice as a sole marker. To determine whether a certain biomarker is present in the blood, it is important to identify its level and the underlying cause. Using several biomarkers can increase the sensitivity and specificity of the test. Multiple biomarkers are particularly useful for