Your blood offers many clues about your heart health. Aside from cholesterol level in your blood which can be a sign of whether you have a heart attack, other substances in your blood can also tell you about your heart health. It's important to remember that one blood test alone doesn't determine your risk of heart disease. It often takes several different blood tests for doctors to diagnose and manage heart disease. In this article, we will focus on some of them and take a quick look at why you may need this test.

Cardiac biomarkers are substances that are released into the blood when the heart is damaged or stressed. Measurements of these biomarkers are used to help diagnose acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and cardiac ischemia, conditions associated with insufficient blood flow to the heart. Tests for cardiac biomarkers can also be used to help determine a person’s risk of having these conditions or to help monitor and manage someone with suspected ACS and cardiac ischemia.

Troponin
Troponin is a protein released into your bloodstream when your heart muscle is being damaged. This protein is by far the most commonly used biomarker. It has the highest known sensitivity. An increased level of troponin protein in your blood has been linked with the amount of heart damage following a heart attack and a higher risk of heart disease in people who have no symptoms so it is often done if you have chest pain. (UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER, 2021)

Myoglobin
Myoglobin is a small protein that stores oxygen. It is measured occasionally. Myoglobin is sometimes measured in addition to troponin to help diagnose a heart attack. It is also not very specific for finding a heart attack. (UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER, 2021)

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)
B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a protein that your heart and blood vessels make. BNP helps your body eliminate fluids, relaxes blood vessels and moves sodium into your urine. For people who have heart failure, establishing a baseline BNP can be helpful and future tests can be used to help measure how well treatment works. BNP has a variation called N-terminal BNP which is also useful for diagnosing heart failure and for assessing the risk of a heart attack and other problems in those with existing heart disease. (Mayo Clinic, 2021)

CK-MB
CK-MB is a subtype of CK. It is more sensitive for finding heart damage from a heart attack. CK-MB rises 4 to 6 hours after a heart attack. But it is generally back to normal in a day or two. Because of this, it's not helpful when a healthcare provider is trying to figure out if your recent chest pain was a heart attack. (UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER, 2021)

D-Dimer
D-Dimer is one of the protein fragments produced when a blood clot gets dissolved in the body. It is normally undetectable or detectable at a very low level unless the body is forming and breaking down blood clots. Then, its level in the blood can significantly rise. The strength of the D-dimer test is that it can be used in a hospital emergency room setting to determine the likelihood of a clot’s presence. (Lab Test Online, 2021)


Biotime has been involved in cardiac care with innovative biomarkers focused on reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease for patients and society. Cardiac blood tests may be performed at the point of care (POC) which has been our area of specialty. The goal of Biotime point of care products is to provide accurate and timely analyses and match them to the right patient. Biotime Point of Care does this by delivering robust, connected, easy to use point-of-care solutions outside the central lab, providing immediate results and thus allowing treatment decisions to be made more quickly – inside or outside the hospital.

Learn more on our website: www.xiamenbiotime.com