Will the universal definition of myocardial infarction criteria result in an overdiagnosis of myocardial infarction?

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Will the universal definition of myocardial infarction criteria result in an overdiagnosis of myocardial infarction?

Am J Cardiol. 2009 Mar 1;103(5):588-91

Authors: Eggers KM, Lind L, Venge P, Lindahl B

The Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction (acute myocardial infarction [AMI]) requires detection of increasing or decreasing cardiac biomarkers (preferably cardiac troponin) with >/=1 value >99(th) percentile, together with either clinical symptoms, new ischemic electrocardiographic changes, or typical imaging findings indicative of myocardial necrosis as diagnostic criteria for AMI. However, a small cardiac troponin elevation together with ST-T segment abnormalities may also occur in clinically stable populations. Accordingly, 0.6% of elderly subjects from a community sample (PIVUS Study) and 6.7% of patients stabilized after an acute coronary syndrome (FRISC II Study) would have been labeled AMI following the Universal Definition of AMI when diagnostic classification had been based on a single cardiac troponin I result. In conclusion, our results emphasized the importance of a significant change in cardiac troponin to avoid misdiagnosis of AMI.

PMID: 19231317 [PubMed - in process]

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