How many tests of CK-MB should be carried out to establish a diagnosis of myocardial infarction?
CK-MB is often present in small amounts in healthy individuals and may be released also by skeletal muscle injury. For this reason, a single test result is not sufficient to establish the diagnosis of a myocardial infarction but should be based on clinical assessment and the pattern of serial CK-MB analyses taken at intervals of ca. 3 hours (for the initial 6-9 hours after onset of symptoms) or 6-8 hour intervals for a 24 hour period.
