Evaluation of chest pain and heart failure in the emergency department: impact of multimarker strategies and B-type natriuretic peptide.

In the emergency setting, acute chest pain and shortness of breath represent common patient presentations. Cardiac biomarkers including myoglobin, creatine kinase (CK)-MB, troponin, and b-type natriuretic peptide provide diagnostic and prognostic information for patients with chest pain and shortness of breath. This article reviews the use of cardiac biomarkers in the emergency department to evaluate acute coronary syndrome and congestive heart failure.