CK isoenzymes and transaminases after coronary cardiography, cardiac surgery and non-cardiac thoracotomy.

The diagnosis of a heart infarct in the early postoperative period is often difficult. In the present study, the levels of serum CK, its isoenzymes (MM, MB and BB), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT) and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) were followed up after coronary arteriography (12 patients), cardiac surgery (23 patients) and non-cardiac thoracotomy (28 patients). Elevation of MB was not detected after coronary arteriography, except in two patients, who had had even before the examination a mildly positive MB finding and electrocardiographic changes indicative of subendocardial infarction. After cardiac surgery the MB findings were positive in all but two patients, who had undergone aortic valve surgery. However, the average MB level was lower than in the 10 heart infarct patients who served as controls. After non-cardiac thoracotomy, six patients had a positive serum MB, but the value of MB was quite low as compared with values after cardiac surgery and nearly insignificant in terms of heart infarct diagnosis.