CHEST PAIN PROFILE

Myoglobin is a protein found in cardiac and skeletal muscle, is valuable in the early evaluation of chest pain patients. It may appear in the blood in high levels as early as 1 to 3 hours after the onset of a heart attack.

Myoglobin has also been shown to be useful in ruling out a heart attack. However, the presence of Myoglobin in the blood does not necessarily confirm a heart attack since it can also be released by other muscles in the body.

CK MB Fraction is a laboratory test used to confirm the existence of myocardial damage. It is the measurement of a small fraction of the creatine kinase (CK) enzyme which will not normally be elevated until 6 to 8 hours after the onset of a heart attack (myocardial infarction).
Because CK-MB is not specific to the myocardium, noncardiac patients may have measurable CK-MB concentrations from skeletal muscle release.

Troponin 1 is used to measure the level of other cardiac muscle proteins that help control the contractions of the heart muscle. Troponin 1 is less likely to be released by other muscles and so has become the marker that is considered most important. It can appear on average 4 to 6 hours after heart damage and remain in the bloodstream for several days afterwards.