Abstract
Objectives: To evaluate and validate the cut-off values for troponin I (Trop I) in diagnosing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in the emergency department (ED) and to establish the local healthy reference value.
Methods: 86 patients with chest pain and/or shortness of breath were admitted to the ED. Blood samples were collected at 0-3 hours, 6-9 hours and 12-24 hours post-admission and were assayed for (Trop I) and creatine kinase MB (CK-MB). The sensitivity, specificity and the area under the curve (AUC) were determined. Blood samples were also collected from 140 healthy volunteers.
Results: The AUC values for ( Trop I) were found to be 0.830, 0.863 and 0.912 for the cut-off values of 0.33, 1.0, and 1.5 ng/ml, respectively. The AUC for CK-MB at admission time was found to be 0.736. The reference value based on the 99th percentile was found to be 0.12 ng/ml.
Conclusion: Trop I levels were identified in 81-88% of the patients with AMI, with higher sensitivity and specificity than the CK-MB levels.