As Chairperson, we had four presentations reviewing the new definition of myocardial infarction, the impact on post PCI procedures, as well as the significance of CK and troponin elevation.
It was mentioned that, although CK-MB elevation five times has a significant impact on long-term mortality, times three is the cut-off value to be taken into consideration.
Although troponin elevation may be related to the outcome, the relation is not as clear as for CK.
The presentation by Dr Banning with insights from IVUS and MRI postulated two causes for biomarker elevation: side branch occlusions and embolization with impact on wall motion.
Dr Fajadet mentioned considerations for prevention following guidelines for medications such as dual antiplatelet and GP IIbIIIa in acute settings. He also mentioned possible causes to be presented such as dissection, side branch occlusion, collaterals and embolization. To conclude, he stated that patient selection and the risk related to the procedure have to be taken into account to avoid increased biomarkers and prevent necrosis during PCI.
Notes to editor
This congress report accompanies a presentation given at the ESC Congress 2008. Written by the author himself/herself, this report does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology.