Title: Evolution of cardiac troponins as the ideal marker for risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndrome

Biography:

Milenko Tanasijevic is the Vice Chair for Clinical Pathology and Quality of the Pathology Department of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), the Director of the BWH Clinical Laboratories and an Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School. He oversees operations, quality and regulatory affairs for over forty licensed laboratory sites performing more than 6 MM tests annually.

Abstract

The introduction of cardiac Troponins as sensitive and specific biomarkers of myocardial injury ushered in a new era for risk stratification of patients with acute coronary syndromes. Over the years, the assays for both Troponin T and I have benefited for greatly improved sensitivity while maintaining their superb specificity. Our group has contributed significantly to this effort (see below bio). This presentation will review the evolution of the analytical and clinical performance of Troponins across the spectrum of acute coronary syndromes, from unstable angina through overt AMI. I will also discuss the recently introduced ultra-sensitive troponin assays and the diagnostic dilemmas they pose, especially for results approaching the lower level of detection.