Heart type fatty acid binding protein in relation to pharmacologic scintigraphy in coronary artery disease

Background: Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) is a marker of myocardial necrosis, but whether it increases during myocardial ischemia is not known. This study investigated whether serum levels of H-FABP change during adenosine stress testing and nuclear imaging in patients with stable coronary artery disease. Methods: Thirty stable patients with established coronary artery disease on their medications were studied. Sampling was performed before the stress test, at the end of adenosine infusion, as well as 1, 2 and 3 h after the completion of the infusion. Results: No difference in H-FABP serum levels were found at the five pre-specified time points in the overall group (p=0.99); furthermore, there was no significant difference regardless of the test result - positive (p=1) or negative (p=0.98). Conclusions: It is concluded that H-FABP does not change significantly during pharmacologic stress testing in patients with known coronary artery disease and there is no difference whether there is inducible ischemia or not.