wanted to kno more about my results

                                   spec'm 10/07/09
Troponin-I: Troponin interpretive guidelines
=0.50 ng/ml: suggestive of myocardial
injury consistent with ami
     can someone help me understand this pls i will call my cardiologist only if there is really a reason to call her is this bad or nothing to worry about..i had chest pain today not that bad felt a lil short of breath.. and heart raises a bit thank you.. for any insight  

[erijon]

Normally, troponin levels are so low that they can not be measured. Even a small rise in troponin may indicate some damage to the heart. When a patient has a large increase in troponin concentration in the blood, then it is highly likely that the patient has had a heart attack or some other form of heart damage. When a patient with chest pain and/or known stable angina has a normal troponin level, then it is likely that their heart has not been damaged.

Troponin values can remain high for 1–2 weeks after a heart attack.  The test is not generally affected by damage to other muscles, so muscle injections, accidents or drugs that cause damage muscle do not normally affect troponin levels.

Keep in mind that troponin can also be elevated as a result of a very rapid heart rate as well. With all the factors involved, I would certainly ask my doctor to explain all the possibilities to me. Can I ask why the test was performed and where? If you were at the ER having symptoms, I can't believe they would have let you leave. Reading these results would sound as if you may have experienced a cardiac event resulting in some muscle cell damage, but I'm not a doctor.

You should call your cardiologist.

Hope this helps,

Jon