The nurse has received the laboratory results for a patient who developed chest pain 4 hours ago and may be having a myocardial infarction. The most important laboratory result to review will be

Question

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Cardiac troponins start to elevate hours (average 4 to 6 hours) after myocardial injury and are specific to myocardium. Creatine kinase (CK-MB) is specific to myocardial injury and infarction, but it does not increase until 6 hours after the infarction occurs. LDL cholesterol and C-reactive protein are useful in assessing cardiovascular risk but are not helpful in determining whether a patient is having an acute myocardial infarction.

The Nurse Has Received the Laboratory Results for a Patient