title: Use of a whole blood rapid panel test for heart-type fatty acid-binding protein in patients with acute chest pain: comparison with rapid troponin T and myoglobin tests.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We sought to determine the clinical utility of a newly developed qualitative test to measure heart-type fatty acid-binding protein levels in blood for the early identification of myocardial infarction.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured heart-type fatty acid-binding protein levels in 371 consecutive patients with acute chest pain and suspected myocardial infarction, and compared the performance of this test with those of troponin T and myoglobin tests. Levels of heart-type fatty acid-binding protein >or=6.2 ng/mL were considered as positive results.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A final diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction was made in 181 patients (49%). Of the 68 patients who presented within 2 hours of the onset of symptoms, 37 (54%) had a final diagnosis of myocardial infarction. The sensitivity of the rapid heart-type fatty acid-binding protein test was 89% (33/37), significantly higher than for troponin T (22% [8/37]; P<0.001) and myoglobin (38% [14/37]; P<0.001). However, the specificity of troponin T (94% [29/31]) was significantly better than for heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (52% [16/31]; P= 0.002) within 2 hours. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for heart-type fatty acid-binding protein levels was greater than that for myoglobin (0.72 vs. 0.61, P = 0.01) among patients who presented within 2 hours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A novel whole blood rapid heart-type fatty acid-binding protein test can be useful in the early evaluation of patients who present with acute chest pain.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine and Coronary Care Unit, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. y-seino@nms.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yoshihiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Seino
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ogata
authors.forename: Teruo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takano
authors.forename: Jun-ichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ishii
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hishida
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takeshita
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takagi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sugiyama
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Yasushi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitaura
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000379:methods; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009211:Myoglobin / Q000097:blood*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D020107:Troponin T / Q000097:blood*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C107608:FABP7 protein, human; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D009211:Myoglobin; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D020107:Troponin T; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins