Common biochemical markers for diagnosing heart disease.

An electrocardiogram (ECG) and clinical features alone are used to diagnose almost 75 per cent of patients presenting with an acute myocardial infarction (MI). In these cases elevated cardiac enzyme levels merely confirm the diagnosis. However, when the clinical picture is less characteristic and the ECG is normal or has nonspecific changes, verification may rely on the detection of enzyme elevation. This article outlines the common biochemical markers used to assess for myocardial damage and the implications for nursing practice.