Cardiac biomarkers

When your heart experiences damage or stress due to lack of oxygen, it releases substances called
cardiac enzymes into the bloodstream.
What is a cardiac enzyme marker test?
An enzyme marker test is a blood test to measure specific biological markers (biomarkers) in your
blood. High (elevated) levels of cardiac enzymes can be a sign of a heart attack or another heart
problem. Cardiac enzymes are also called cardiac biomarkers.
How do healthcare providers use cardiac biomarkers?
Cardiac biomarkers help healthcare providers know if symptoms are due to a heart attack (myocardial
infarction), angina, heart failure or another problem.
Increases in cardiac enzymes can also indicate acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or myocardial
ischemia.
Treatments for these conditions vary. An accurate diagnosis is critical to ensuring you receive the
appropriate care.

• Troponin
• Myoglobin
• Creatinine phosphokinase (CPK) and myoglobin (MB) 
• B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)
• H-FABP