Troponin in acute coronary syndrome patients. The interventional cardiologist perspective.

Troponin measurement has now become an integral part of the assessment of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Obtaining troponin levels have been used effectively as a diagnostic tool with superior sensitivity and specificity compared to creatine kinase MB fraction in identifying high-risk ACS patients. The adverse prognosis of these high-risk patients can be modified by more aggressive treatment strategy including antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy accompanied, if feasible, by early percutaneous intervention. The current review summarizes available data on troponin measurement as a clinical tool for tailoring therapeutic strategy in non-ST elevation ACS patients. In addition, the data on the potential predictive value of postintervention troponin levels is discussed.