急性冠脉综合征患者PCI术后外周血MMP-9水平的连续观察及其临床意义

目的观察急性冠脉综合征（ACS）患者经皮冠脉介入（PCI）术后外周血中基质金属蛋白酶-9（matrix metallo-proteases-9,MMP-9）水平的连续变化,探讨MMP-9与ACS的关联性。方法选取ACS患者39例,采用双抗体夹心ELISA测定血清MMP-9的水平。结果ACS患者入院即刻血浆MMP-9水平显著高于对照组及稳定型心绞痛组[（66±16）vs（24±11）μg/L,P<0.01;（66±16）vs（33±11）μg/L,P<0.01]。稳定型心绞痛患者入院即刻血浆MMP-9水平显著高于对照组（P<0.01）。ACS患者PCI术后即刻,外周血MMP-9水平均较入院时显著升高（P<0.01）,随着术后时间的延长,外周血MMP-9水平逐渐降低。结论ACS患者入院时外周血MMP-9水平升高,PCI术后即刻,外周血MMP-9水平均较入院时显著升高,随着术后时间的延长,外周血MMP-9水平逐渐降低。提示MMP-9可以作为诊断ACS的指标之一,术后检测有助于监测ACS患者术后病情的恢复情况。     

急性冠状动脉综合征患者血浆MMP-2、MMP-9水平变化的临床观察

目的探讨MMP-2和MMP-9在急性冠状动脉综合征(ACS)患者中的变化及意义。方法通过对141例ACS(其中急性心肌梗死98例,不稳定性心绞痛43例)患者,与40例稳定性心绞痛(SAP)和40例冠状动脉正常(NCA)患者作对照,测定血清中MMP-2、MMP-9的浓度,同时对急诊PCI术者在术后1周再次测血浆中MMP-2和MMP-9的表达。结果与NCA组及SAP组比较,ACS组中MMP-2、MMP-9显著升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.01),且术后1周病情稳定后明显降低,与术前比较差异有统计学意义(P0.01)。与冠状动脉单支病变相比,双支及三支病变的患者血清中MMP-2、MMP-9显著升高,差异有统计学意义(P0.01)。结论 MMP-2、MMP-9可作为反映ACS患者动脉粥样硬化斑块不稳定或破裂的血清学指标,并有助于冠状动脉病变严重程度的危险分层。     

急性冠脉综合征患者外周血MMP-9及CRP的变化及其临床意义

目的观察急性冠脉综合征（ACS）患者外周血中基质金属蛋白酶-9（m atrix m etalloproteases-9,MMP-9）及C反应蛋白（CRP）的水平变化,探讨MMP-9、CRP与ACS发生的关系。方法选取ACS患者39例,采用双抗体夹心ELISA测定血清MMP-9的水平,CRP用免疫散射比浊法检测。结果ACS患者入院即刻血浆MMP-9、CRP水平均显著高于对照组[（66±16）vs（24±11）μg/L,P<0.01;（12.3±9.2）vs（3.5±2.0）mg/L,P<0.01]。ACS组内UA亚组与AM I亚组比较,MMP-9水平显著增高[（78±11）vs（50±14）μg/L,P<0.01],而CRP水平显著下降[（7.2±2.2）vs（18.7±10.7）mg/L,P<0.01]。ACS组患者中MMP-9和CRP水平无明显相关性。结论冠心病患者外周血MMP-9、CRP水平升高。ACS患者中MMP-9和CRP水平无明显相关性。     

血浆基质金属蛋白酶2和组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2水平变化与急性冠状动脉综合征的关系

目的 探讨不同类型冠心病患者基质金属蛋白酶2、组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2水平及其比值变化,分析其在急性冠状动脉综合征中的临床意义.方法 经冠状动脉造影的118例心内科住院患者,依据其临床表现和冠状动脉造影结果分组:急性冠状动脉综合征患者49例,其中包括不稳定型心绞痛患者30例、急性心肌梗死患者19例;非急性冠状动脉综合征冠心病患者44例,包括稳定型心绞痛患者23例、冠状动脉慢性完全闭塞患者21例;25例冠状动脉正常患者为对照组.采用夹心酶联免疫吸附法检测动脉血浆基质金属蛋白酶2和组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2水平.结果 急性冠状动脉综合征和非急性冠状动脉综合征患者血浆基质金属蛋白酶2、组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2水平均明显高于对照组(P<0.05),且基质金属蛋白酶2/组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2比值均显著高于对照组(P<0.01);与非急性冠状动脉综合征患者比较,急性冠状动脉综合征患者基质金属蛋白酶2、组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2水平及基质金属蛋白酶2/组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2比值均显著增高(P<0.05和P<0.01);与对照组比较,不稳定型心绞痛组、急性心肌梗死组和冠状动脉慢性完全闭塞组基质金属蛋白酶2水平明显增高(P<0.05和P<0.01),不稳定型心绞痛组、稳定型心绞痛组和冠状动脉慢性完全闭塞组组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2显著增高(P<0.05和P<0.01).结论 动脉粥样硬化斑块的演变与血基质金属蛋白酶2、组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2水平及基质金属蛋白酶2/组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2比值变化和失衡密切相关,基质金属蛋白酶2水平和基质金属蛋白酶2/组织型基质金属蛋白酶抑制剂2比值显著升高提示动脉粥样硬化斑块的不稳定性,有可能作为急性冠状动脉综合征病情严重程度的有效预测指标之一.     

MMP-2、MMP-9和hs-CPR与急性冠脉综合征关系的研究

目的探讨基质金属蛋白酶2（MMP-2）、基质金属蛋白酶9（MMP-9）和超敏C-反应蛋白（hs-CPR）在急性冠脉综合征（ACS）中的变化及对预后的影响。方法选择2006年3月～2010年5月住院的ACS患者120例为观察组;其中不稳定型心绞痛（UA）40例、无ST段抬高心肌梗死（NSTEMI）40例、急性ST段抬高心肌梗死（STE-MI）40例。另选择同期稳定心绞痛患者40例为对照组,采用酶联免疫吸附法测定MMP-2、MMP-9水平,用免疫散射比浊法测定hs-CRP水平,并分析MMP-2、MMP-9及hs-CRP的变化和冠脉病变之间的关系。结果观察组血清MMP-2、MMP-9及hs-CRPR水平高于对照组（P〈0.05）,NSTEMI组和STEMI组血清MMP-2、MMP-9及hs-CRP的水平高于UA组（P〈0.05）;观察组患者血清MMP-2与hs-CRP无明显相关性（r=0.25,P〉0.05）,而血清MMP-9与hs-CRP水平呈正相关（r=0.599,P〈0.05）。结论联合检测ACS患者血清MMP-2、MMP-9和hs-CRP对判断斑块稳定性、预测ACS的危险分层及预后有重要的指导意义。     

急性冠状动脉综合征患者MMP-9及TIMP-1与冠状动脉病变的相关性

目的:探讨基质金属蛋白酶(MMP)-9及其抑制因子(TIMP)-1与急性冠状动脉综合征(ACS)患者冠状动脉病变的关系。方法:采用夹心酶联免疫法测定42例ACS患者和25例非冠心病对照者血清MMP-9及TIMP-1水平,并进行对比分析,并对ACS患者中的不稳定型心绞痛(UAP)亚组患者血清MMP-9及TIMP-1水平与冠状动脉病变Califf危险积分作相关分析。结果:ACS组MMP-9较对照组明显增高(P<0.01),而TIMP-1则较对照组显著降低(P<0.01);UAP患者血清MMP-9与冠状动脉病变积分呈明显正相关(r=0.770,P<0.01),血清TIMP-1则与冠状动脉病变积分呈明显负相关(r=-0.669,P<0.01)。结论:MMP-9及TIMP-1与急性冠状动脉综合征患者冠状动脉病变有关,可作为判断其病变程度的指标之一。     

急性冠状动脉综合征——不稳定斑块、炎症与急性冠状动脉综合征

急性冠状动脉综合征(ACS)是一组由于冠状动脉斑块破裂致血管严重狭窄或闭塞而发生心肌缺血和(或)局部坏死的综合征，临床表现为不稳定型心绞痛(UAP)、非Q波及Q波心肌梗死(MI)和猝死。近来研究表明，不稳定斑块破裂是导致ACS的主要原因，而炎症与不稳定斑块的发生、发展及破裂有极重要的联系。     

急性冠状动脉综合征心电图改变的临床意义

目的 探讨急性冠状动脉综合征心电图改变的临床意义。方法 对104例接受经皮穿刺腔内冠状动脉成形术加支架植入术的急性冠状动脉综合征患者（Ⅰ组Q波心肌梗死54例、Ⅱ组非Q波心肌梗死12例和Ⅲ组不稳定心绞痛38例）的冠状动脉病变和心电图改变进行分析。结果 冠状动脉完全闭塞Ⅰ组占75．55％，Ⅱ组占33．33％，差异有显著性意义（P＜0．05）。Ⅲ组无冠状动脉完全闭塞。3例冠状动脉多支病变差异无显著性意义（P＞0．05）。Ⅰ组：前壁心肌梗死多于下壁（32／54：22／54），发生持续性窦性心动过速、三度房室传导阻滞、室性心律失常、死亡率高。Ⅱ组：广泛持续性ST－T改变或以T波深倒置演变特征或Q波迅速消失，ST－T动态改变。Ⅲ组：胸痛发作时ST－T改变或伪性改善，不发作时ST－T正常或仍有改变。结论 急性冠状动脉综合征心电图表现有多种形式。无Q波心肌梗死并不少见。心电图的易变性是急性冠状动脉综合征的特征之一。     

急性冠状动脉综合征患者血清内脂素水平的变化及其临床意义

目的探讨血清内脂素水平与急性冠状动脉综合征的关系。方法68例急性冠状动脉综合征患者分为不稳定型心绞痛组20例和急性心肌梗死组48例，另取正常人20例为对照组；测定三组血清内脂素水平并进行比较。结果急性心肌梗死组、不稳定型心绞痛组及对照组血清内脂素水平分别为（43．06±2．41）、（39．66±4．11）、（21．09±5．23）ng／ml。三组间比较差异均有统计学意义（P均〈0．01）。结论检测血清内脂素水平有助于急性冠状动脉综合征的早期诊断；血清内脂素水平越高，冠状动脉病变程度越严重。     

急性冠状动脉综合征患者窦性心率震荡分析

目的探讨急性冠状动脉综合征患者窦性心率震荡的变化及临床意义。方法对129例急性冠状动脉综合征患者(观察组,包括不稳定型心绞痛46例、急性心肌梗死83例)和57例健康人(对照组)的动态心电图进行分析,测量窦性心率震荡参数震荡起始(TO)、震荡斜率(TS)。结果观察组心率震荡(TO-0.6%±3.53%,TS2.90±2.90ms/R-R)较对照组(TO3.50%±5.09%,TS8.80±5.80ms/R-R)减弱,差异均有非常显著性意义(P<0.01),其中急性心肌梗死患者心率震荡减弱更加明显(TO=-0.59%±3.00%,P<0.01,TS=2.90±2.90ms/R-R,P<0.01)。急性冠状动脉综合征患者心率震荡减弱程度与左心室射血分数呈显著负相关(r=-0.304,P<0.01)。结论心率震荡可作为反映急性冠状动脉综合征患者自主神经功能及心功能的参考指标。     

Age, clinical presentation, and outcome of acute coronary syndromes in the Euroheart acute coronary syndrome survey.

AIMS: Age is one of the most powerful determinants of prognosis in myocardial infarction, but there is comparatively little recent data across the whole spectrum of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). We examined the impact of increasing age on clinical presentation and hospital outcome in a large sample of patients with ACS. METHODS AND RESULTS: Patients (n = 10 253) from the Euroheart ACS survey in 103 hospitals in 25 countries were investigated. There was a significant inverse association between the age and the likelihood of presenting with ST-elevation. For each decade of life, the odds of presenting with ST-elevation decreased by 0.82 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79-0.84]; P < 0.0001. Elderly patients were considerably less often treated by cardiologists, less extensively investigated, and, when presenting with ST-elevation ACS, less likely to be treated with reperfusion. Compared with patients <55 years, the odds ratios of hospital mortality were 1.87 (1.21-2.88) at age 55-64, 3.70 (2.51-5.44) at age 65-74, 6.23 (4.25-9.14) at age 75-84, and 14.5 (9.47-22.1) among patients > or =85 years, with no major differences across different types of admission or discharge diagnoses. CONCLUSION: Elderly ACS patients were less likely to present with ST-elevation but had substantial in-hospital mortality, yet they were markedly less intensively treated and investigated.     

Impact of hospitalization for acute coronary events on subsequent mortality in patients with chronic heart failure

Aims: We explored the impact of having a hospital admission for anacute coronary syndrome (ACS) on the subsequent prognosis amongpatients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Methods and results: A total of 7599 patients with CHF, New York Heart AssociationClasses II–IV, were randomly assigned to candesartan orplacebo. We assessed the risk of death after a first ACS usingtime-updated Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for baselinepredictors. During a mean follow-up of 3.3 years, 1174 patientsexperienced at least one ACS. Myocardial infarction (MI) wasthe first ACS in 442 subjects and unstable angina (UA) in 732.After these events, 219 (49.5%) and 167 (22.8%) patients diedduring follow-up. The early risk of death was more pronouncedafter MI: 30.2% died within 30 days compared with 3.6% afterUA. After an ACS event, the risk of death declined steadilyover time, although 18 months after an MI the risk was stilltwice that of patients without an ACS. Conclusion: Patients with CHF, who develop an ACS, have markedly increasedsubsequent mortality, particularly in the early phase afteran MI.     

C-反应蛋白是急性冠脉综合征的一种危险因子

目的　研究急性冠脉综合征 (包括不稳定性心绞痛、急性心肌梗死和心源性猝死 )患者血清C 反应蛋白(CRP)浓度水平并与对照组 (即非急性冠脉综合征 ,包括稳定性心绞痛、陈旧性心肌梗死和正常体检人群 )比较 ,探讨CRP是否为急性冠脉综合征的一种危险因子。方法　用速率散射比浊法测定急性冠脉综合征患者和对照组血清CRP浓度 ,同时检测冠心病的常见危险因子并与CRP一起作Lo gistic回归分析。结果　①急性冠脉综合征患者血清CRP浓度 [18 5 0mg/L± 2 3 98mg/L (SE 2 5 1,n =91) ]显著高于对照组 [3 89mg/L± 7 14mg/L (SE 0 5 1,n =194 ) ](P <0 0 1)。②急性心肌梗死急性期患者CRP浓度 (18 6 5mg/L± 2 4 12mg/L)和不稳定性心绞痛CRP浓度 (17 95mg/L±2 4 10mg/L)显著高于正常对照组 (P <0 0 1)、稳定性心绞痛CRP浓度 (3 94± 7 5 0mg/L) (P <0 0 1)、急性心肌梗死患者恢复期 (5 93mg/L± 13 0 7mg/L) (P <0 0 1)和陈旧性心肌梗死患者 (4 5 7mg/L± 8 2 7mg/L) (P <0 0 1) ;稳定性心绞痛患者、急性心肌梗死患者恢复期和陈旧性心肌梗死患者之间CRP浓度无差别 (P >0 0 5 )并与正常人群比较无显著性差别 (P >0 0 5 )。③每增加CRP 5mg/L ,急性冠脉综合征发生危险增加到近 2倍 (用Logistic回归 ,OR     

急性冠状动脉综合征患者血清基质金属蛋白酶-9水平变化及意义

目的探讨急性冠状动脉综合征(ACS)患者血清基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)水平的变化及其临床意义。方法采用酶联免疫分析(ELISA)方法,测定ACS患者、稳定型心绞痛(SAP)患者和健康对照组血清MMP-9水平的变化。结果三组MMP-9分别为(284.30±64.60)ng/ml;(169.80±35.20)ng/ml;(164.40±33.80)ng/ml。三组间比较差异有显著性意义(P<0.001),三组间两两比较,ACS组与SAP组和对照组比较差异有显著性意义(P均<0.001),而SAP组和对照组比较差异无显著性意义(P=0.922)。按SAP、不稳定型心绞痛到急性心肌梗死由轻到重的等级排列,发现MMP-9由低到高的顺序排列,MMP-9水平与冠心病事件的严重程度呈正相关(r=0.762,P<0.001)。结论冠心病患者血清MMP-9水平增高可作为ACS的一个危险信号,同时也可以作为冠心病患者危险分层的一个重要生化监测指标。     

基质金属蛋白酶-9及其抑制物在急性冠状动脉综合征中的意义

目的测定急性冠状动脉综合征患者血浆基质金属蛋白酶-9(matrix metalloproteinase-9,MMP-9) 和组织金属蛋白酶抑制因子-1(tissue inhibitor metalloproteinase-1,TIMP-1)的变化,探讨MMP-9和TIMP-1 在急性冠状动脉综合征中的作用。方法急性冠状动脉综合征患者30例,稳定型心绞痛患者29例,正常对照17例,用酶联免疫法测定MMP-9和TIMP-1的血浆水平,血脂水平用比浊法测定。结果急性冠状动脉综合征组MMP．9(13±10)μg／L,TIMP-1(1．4±0．2)μg／L,MMP-9／TIMP-1(10±7);稳定型心绞痛组MMP-9 (2．2±0．5)μg／L,TIMP-1(0．7±0．4)μg／L和MMP-9／TIMP-1(3．2±2．0);正常对照组MMP-9(1．7±1．3)μg／L、 TIMP-1(0．6±0．4)μg／L和MMP-9／TIMP-1(5．2±0．9),急性冠状动脉综合征组与稳定型心绞痛组及对照组差异有统计学意义(P<0．01)。三组血脂水平差异无统计学意义。结论 MMP-9、TIMP-1和MMP-9／TIMP-1 在急性冠状动脉综合征患者中显著升高,他们有可能成为ACS患者易损斑块的预测指标。     

中国急性心肌缺血综合征患者临床特征

目的 分析中国地区急性心肌缺血综合征病人的临床特点和治疗现状。方法 此项研究为国际性多中心关于急性心肌缺血综合征登记试验(OASIS)的一部分。采用加拿大心血管合作协会统一设计的病例记录表(CRF),自1999年4月开始,收集因急性心肌缺血入院病人的资料,记录病人主要临床特征和院内事件。结果 来自中国38家医院急性心肌缺血综合征(包括不稳定心绞痛及非Q波心肌梗死)病人2290例,平均年龄62．8岁,男性占62．3％。就诊时胸痛仍未缓解者48．9％;心电图异常89．7％,其中41．4％为相邻导联ST压低≥2mm;入院诊断不稳定心绞痛90．9％,非Q波心肌梗死9．0％。住院期间溶栓3．3％,冠状动脉(冠脉)造影34．9％,经皮冠脉腔内成形术(PTCA)17．6％,冠脉旁路移植术(CABG)4．2％,应用硝酸酯剂99．3％,抗血小板治疗94．5％。院内发生重要并发症15．2％,其中死亡1．4％。结论 中国地区急性心肌缺血病人以不稳定心绞痛就诊居多。住院期间PTCA治疗率相对较高,CABG治疗率较低。死亡主要原因为严重心律失常或猝死。     

不稳定性心绞痛、急性心肌梗死病人血清铁蛋白变化的临床意义

目的　研究不稳定性心绞痛（ＵＡＰ）、急性心肌梗死（ＡＭＩ）病人血清铁蛋白（ＳＦ） 的变化。方法　将住院治疗的４９ 例冠状动脉粥样硬化性心脏病（ＣＨＤ） 患者分为稳定性心绞痛（ＳＡＰ）、ＵＡＰ、ＡＭＩ组。其中ＳＡＰ９ 例,ＵＡＰ２７ 例,ＡＭＩ１３ 例,对照组３０ 例。ＡＰ和ＡＭＩ发作２４ 小时内的抽取空腹静脉血,分离血清,－ ４５ ℃保存,利用双抗体１２５Ｉ放射免疫法测定ＳＦ。结果　ＡＭＩ组ＳＦ 与对照组比较,ＡＭＩ组ＳＦ 增高,差异呈高度显著性（ Ｐ ＜０－０１）。结论　ＳＦ增高可能是ＣＨＤ的一个危险因素。ＳＦ在ＡＭＩ时增高与心肌损伤有关,用络合剂减少ＳＦ释放的Ｆｅ３＋ 有可能减轻心肌损伤     

A multicentre retrospective study to understand anti-platelet treatment patterns and outcomes of acute coronary syndrome patients in India (TRACE)

Background

There is limited available information for treatment of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) with respect to outcomes, therapeutic agents and treatment practices. Our retrospective registry study collected and evaluated varying anti-platelet treatment strategies and outcomes of ACS patients who were admitted to 9 different tertiary care hospitals in India. This study was carried out to provide an insight to anti-platelet treatment patterns and analyze outcomes of ACS patients in India.

Methods

All the relevant data, including anti-platelet treatment strategies, outcomes and patient treatment compliance were collected from 500 ACS (defined as STEMI, NSTEMI and unstable angina [UA]) cases from January 2007 to December 2009. These ACS cases were randomly collected from the hospital records and included in the analysis. The patient follow up data was acquired either from the hospital records or via telephonic contact for a period of one year following the event.

Results

Out of 500 ACS patients, 59.8% had UA/NSTEMI and 40.2% had STEMI. On hospital admission, aspirin, clopidogrel, statins, beta-blockers and angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is) were used by 83%, 83%, 68%, 43.2% and 31.6% patients, respectively. On discharge, aspirin, clopidogrel, statins and beta-blockers were used by 90.2%, 88%, 80.6%, and 59% patients, respectively. The average patient compliance to statins, clopidogrel and aspirin was recorded as 74.28%, 69.7% and 68.66%, respectively during discharge and follow-up visits. Greater than 50% of ACS patients after discharge were lost to follow-up and as a result there was significant drop in the number of clinical events reported.

Conclusion

This pilot study conducted in tertiary care centers in India showed that patients with ACS were more often diagnosed with UA/NSTEMI as compared to STEMI and reported maximum compliance to statins, clopidogrel and aspirin after discharge over 1 year follow-up. More ACS patients were lost to follow up that resulted in low reporting of clinical outcomes, following discharge upto 1 year.     

MMP-9和TIMP-1与急性心肌梗死后左心室重构的关系

目的探讨急性心肌梗死(AMI)患者血清基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)和金属蛋白酶组织抑制因子-1(TIMP-1)水平的变化及其与AMI后近期左心室重构(LVRM)和功能的关系。方法选择首次发病AMI患者71例,其中31例(A组)于发病12h之内(5.7±1.8)h入院给予直接经皮冠状动脉介入治疗(PCI);余40例于发病12h之后入院,待病情稳定后随机分为两组,B组20例于发病后(5.6±2.8)d行延迟PCI,C组20例给予内科保守治疗。另设正常对照组(D组)。ELISA法测血清MMP-9、TIMP-1浓度。二维超声心动图计算舒张末期容积指数(EDVI)、收缩末期容积指数(ESVI)、射血分数(EF)和室壁运动指数(WNSI)。结果EDVI、ESVI、EFA组显著优于B、C组(P<0.05);B组显著优于C组(P<0.05)。WNSIA、B组明显改善,C组恶化。A、B、C组30d时MMP-9浓度与EDVI、呈正相关(分别为r=0.48、0.54、0.63,P<0.05),与EF呈负相关(分别为r=-0.46、-0.53、-0.62,P<0.05)。结论AMI后早期血清MMP-9浓度即升高,LVRM过程中MMP-9浓度与EDVI、呈正相关,与EF呈负相关。     

Troponins in patients with acute coronary syndromes: biologic,diagnostic, and therapeutic implications

The cardiac troponins have expanded the spectrum of detectable myocardial injury and enhanced the clinician's ability to identify patients with acute coronary syndromes who are at higher risk for death or recurrent ischemic events. Based on available data, it appears most likely that any reliably detected troponin elevation results from myocyte necrosis. This notion has served as the basis for the recent revision of diagnostic criteria for acute myocardial infarction based on cardiac troponin. Nevertheless, further research is necessary to conclusively refute the possibility that the release of cardiac troponins may also occur in the setting of reversible myocyte injury resulting from cellular ischemia. Such an investigation establishing biologic correlates of troponin elevation is likely to prove valuable in guiding diagnostic terminology as well as in therapy. For example, clinical research finding cardiac troponin elevation to be predictive of intracoronary throumbus and distal microvascular obstruction has been important to the evaluation of troponis for targeting powerful antiplatelet and antithrombin therapies. Whether related to irreversible or reversible injury, the cardiac troponins have blurred the traditional boundaries between unstable angina and myocardial infarction and have evolved as powerful tools for risk stratification and therapeutic decision-making.