The enemy of good?: Making the most of highly sensitive troponin assays

摘要

Troponin assays are getting better, so much so, in fact, that we as clinicians need to similarly evolve in our understanding of how we can use them most effectively. I have observed medical house staff cast off the significance of elevated troponin levels in a patient by diagnosing "troponinemia" and moving on, as if that were an explanation in and of itself. House staff are not alone in their misunderstanding of these test results. The ever-improving sensitivity of troponin assays has engendered skepticism and caused confusion for many, but the reality is that the modern troponin assays truly are better than earlier versions. They are providing accurate and precise information, and are providing it in abundance.