Update on high-sensitivity cardiac troponin in patients with suspected myocardial infarction

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays have been used clinically in many countries throughout the world for years and complement detailed clinical assessment and the electrocardiogram in the early diagnosis of myocardial infarction (MI). High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays for the first time allow to precisely quantify cardiomyocyte injury around the 99th percentile and thereby substantially increase the accuracy for MI already for blood draws obtained at presentation to the emergency department (ED). Higher diagnostic accuracy at ED presentation enabled the development and extensive validation of early hs-cTn-based diagnostic algorithms, which substantially reduced the time required for safe rule-out or rule-in of MI.