title: The role of the heart-type fatty acid binding protein in the early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and its comparison with troponin I and creatine kinase-MB isoform.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to research the effectiveness of the heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) in the early diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients admitted to emergency service (ES) within 6 hours of onset of chest pain. EQUIPMENT AND METHOD: A total of 83 patients admitted with chest pain to our ES were included in this study. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those with a diagnosed ACS and those diagnosed with non-cardiac-related chest pain. Patients were also were divided into 2 groups according to the time of admission: those admitted within 0 to 3 hours and 3 to 6 hours of onset of chest pain. Peripheral venous blood samples were obtained from all patients for H-FABP, troponin I, and creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) serum concentration measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of a total of 83 patients, 21.6% (n = 18) were in the control group and 78.3% (n = 65) were in the ACS group. The average H-FABP value for the patients in the control group was 0.86 ± 0.54 ng/mL. When the ACS and control groups were compared in means of cardiac markers for CK-MB (P = .000) and H-FABP (P = .000), there was a statistically significant difference, whereas no difference was observed for troponin I (P = .013). In the ACS group, H-FABP sensitivity for diagnosis was found to be 98% and specificity was 71%; CK-MB sensitivity was 86% and specificity was 52%; and troponin I sensitivity was 77% and specificity was 20%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For patients admitted with chest pain to ES, H-FABP was found to be more sensitive and specific than troponin I and CK-MB in the early diagnosis of ACS.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, University of Dicle, Diyarbakır, Turkey. drm.orak@dicle.edu.tr
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orak
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ustündağ
authors.forename: Cahfer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Güloğlu
authors.forename: Ayhan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ozhasenekler
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Alyan
authors.forename: Ebru
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kale
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form / Q000097:blood*; D000074026:Fatty Acid Binding Protein 3; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: C493408:FABP3 protein, human; D000074026:Fatty Acid Binding Protein 3; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins; D019210:Troponin I; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form