The National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry

Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines

Biomarkers of Acute Coronary Syndrome and Heart Failure

Publication Date: 2007

Chinese Translation
Russian Translation of Preamble and Chapter 1
Russian Translation of Chapter 2
Russian Translation of Chapter 3
Russian Translation of Chapter 4
Spanish Translation of Preamble and Chapter 1
Spanish Translation of Chapters 2 and 3
Spanish Translation of Chapters 4-6

This laboratory medicine practice guideline (LMPG) is aimed at providing analytical and clinical guidance for the measurement and interpretation of biochemical markers of cardiac injury in acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and heart failure. Also included are recommendations for point-of-care measurement and logistics of providing ACS biomarker testing for patient care as well as guidance for interpretation of cardiac biomarkers in etiologies other than ACS and heart failure. The recommendations contained herein are based upon the best available evidence and consensus of expert contributors and reviewers. Toward this effort, draft revisions of these guidelines were prepared and placed for comment on the NACB (now AACC Academy) webpage. Also, the draft LMPG and suggested revisions were presented for public and stakeholder comment at the May 2004 Arnold O. Beckman Conference titled Cardiac Markers: Establishing Guidelines and Improving Results. The guideline chapters resulting from this process have been published in appropriate peer-reviewed laboratory medicine and specialty clinical journals to assist with dissemination among the target groups.

Guidelines Committee

  • Robert H. Christenson, Chair, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
  • Fred S. Apple, Hennepin County Medical Center and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
  • Christopher P. Cannon, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  • Gary S. Francis, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  • Robert L. Jesse, Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia, USA
  • David A. Morrow, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
  • L. Kristin Newby, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
  • Jan Ravkilde, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
  • Alan B. Storrow, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
  • W. H. Wilson Tang, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
  • Alan H. B. Wu, San Francisco General Hospital and University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA

Ad Hoc members of the committee for selected sections:

  • Allan S. Jaffe, Mayo Clinic, Rochester Minnesota, USA
  • Alan S. Maisel, University of California at San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
  • Mauro Panteghini, University of Milan, Milan, Italy

This LMPG was developed by an independent committee of the NACB. Subsequent publication of these guidelines has been supported by the Academy, and grants from the AACC and the following: Dade Behring, Abbott Laboratories, and Beckman Coulter.

Stakeholder Organizations

Author Disclosures