What it means
Troponin helps muscle fibers contract. The cardiac forms, troponin I and troponin T, are found almost only in heart muscle, so when heart cells are damaged they leak into the blood. Levels start to rise a few hours after injury and stay high for days. Tests are usually repeated over several hours, because a rising pattern matters more than one result. Besides myocardial infarctionmy-oh-KAR-dee-ul in-FARK-shunDeath of part of the heart muscle because its blood supply is blocked; a heart attack.my/o musclecardi/o heart-al having to do withinfarct area of dead tissueFull entry , kidney failure, sepsis and heart inflammation can also raise it.
For the nurse
Draw serial troponins on time, as ordered, and report any rise right away. A normal first result does not rule out a heart attack.
At a glance
| Normal range | Below the lab's cutoff: often under 0.04 ng/mL for troponin I [under 0.04 µg/L]. High-sensitivity tests report in ng/L with their own cutoffs; each lab sets its own values. |
|---|---|
| Spanish | troponina |
| Also written | cardiac troponin, troponins |
Related terms
electrocardiogram
A test that records the heart's electrical activity as waves on paper or a screen.
myocardial infarction
Death of part of the heart muscle because its blood supply is blocked; a heart attack.
chest pain
Pain or discomfort felt anywhere in the chest.
myocardium
The thick middle layer of the heart wall, made of heart muscle that contracts to pump blood.