Markers of cardiac ischemia and inflammation

Because biomarkers of myocardial necrosis only become positive in the setting of myocardial necrosis and disruption of cellular integrity, the diagnosis of myocardial infarction can only be made in retrospect. Ideally, one would like to identify patients at risk for complications before myocardial necrosis occurs. Insights into the pathophysiology of atherothrombosis have allowed development of novel markers to detect not only early ischemia without myocyte death but also early indicators of coronary inflammation in patients who have preclinical atherosclerosis.