Human heart-type fatty acid-binding protein as an early diagnostic and prognostic marker in acute coronary syndrome

Although heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) can be a marker of sarcolemmal injury due to acute myocardial ischemia, the diagnostic or prognostic value is not established in patients with acute chest pain. This multicenter prospective study aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic values of H-FABP in 133 patients presenting to an emergency room with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) by comparing with those of conventional biomarkers. H-FABP and myoglobin had greater positive results than did creatine kinase-MB or troponin T. Receiver operating characteristics analysis revealed that H-FABP was the most reliable for detection of ACS and that H-FABP had the greatest sensitivities for identification of patients requiring emergency hospitalization, coronary angiography, and interventional therapy within 7 days among the biomarkers. Thus, H-FABP can be an early diagnostic and prognostic biochemical marker, particularly within the first 6 h from the onset of chest symptoms, in patients with chest pain at an emergency department.