The value of serum CK-MB and myoglobin measurements for assessing perioperative myocardial infarction after cardiac surgery

In 41 patients who underwent coronary bypass surgery, creatine kinase (CK)-MB mass concentration was repeatedly measured in serum during and after the intervention using a new two-site immunoenzymetric assay (IEMA). Serum CK-MB activity was determined with the use of four different techniques: immunoinhibition, immunoinhibition-immunoprecipitation, column chromatography and electrophoresis. Myoglobin (Mb) was also measured in each specimen by radioimmunoassay. In the 33 patients who followed a completely uneventful postoperative course, the cumulated CK-MB release was, on the average, 12.2-fold less than after acute myocardial infarction. The CK-MB peak concentrations using the IEMA were 33 +/- 3 micrograms/l (X +/- SEM) and occurred 6.4 +/- 0.5 h after the intervention was started; CK-MB levels had decreased to 2.9 +/- 0.4 micrograms/l at the end of the first postoperative day. The evolution of the CK-MB concentration was parallel to that of the enzyme activity. The serum Mb maximum concentrations (518 +/- 39 micrograms/l) were reached after 3.3 +/- 0.1 h. The other eight patients developed perioperative myocardial infarction (PMI); in this group, the cumulated CK-MB release was higher, and the serum CK-MB postoperative curves were of three different types. The patients with delayed CK-MB peaks (type I pattern) or sustained elevations (type III) of this isoenzyme also showed increased serum Mb levels at the end of the first postoperative day. The PMI patients with early (10 h) CK-MB elevations (type II) did not demonstrate abnormal serum Mb levels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)