The measurement of cardiac markers: where should we focus?

Cardiac markers are presently a hot topic, with active debate on their use. They now have a major role for cost-effective management of acute chest pain and suspected acute coronary syndrome. The laboratory has a pivotal role in proper selection and interpretation of available markers, depending on the creation of evidence-based knowledge about test utilization and sources of variation. This article reviews this knowledge in the field of biomarkers determination and summarizes the major analytic and clinical issues, with reference to various recent recommendations of laboratory medicine and cardiology expert groups.