CARDIAC T® Rapid Assay Of the more than 5 million people in the United States reporting to hospital emergency departments with chest pain each year, up to two-thirds are admitted for further evaluation. Of the patients subsequently discharged, 4 to 5% suffer myocardial infarction or sudden death within 72 hours of discharge (T.H. Lee et al., American Journal of Cardiology, 60:219-24, 1987). Past studies have shown that cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is a sensitive and specific marker for minor myocardial injury (H.A. Katus et al., Circulation, 83:902-12, 1991; M. Muller-Bardorff et al., Clinical Chemistry, 43:458-66, 1997). The ultra sensitive CARDIAC T Rapid Assay from Boehringer Mannheim (Indianapolis) is a second generation, one-step, disposable qualitative assay for the detection of troponin T, and can identify patients with minor myocardial damage and unstable angina who are at risk for future cardiac events.
In a recent study evaluating more than 400 patients presenting ...
