In the four pages committed to a discussion of myocardial infarction in the first edition of Harrison¿s Principles of Internal Medicine, published in 1950, there was no mention of use of the laboratory for management of patients. Thirty years later, when the first edition of Braunwald¿s Heart Disease, A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine was published, 2 out of the 1943 pages in the text contained a discussion of the laboratory examinations in acute myocardial infarction. Our knowledge base of the multitude of ways that physicians can and should use the clinical chemistry laboratory has expanded dramatically since these classic texts were published. The nomenclature has changed: terms such as ¿cardiac enzymes¿ have given way to ¿cardiac biomarkers. ¿ The number of assays has multiplied, and the operating characteristics of available assays are impr- ing at a gratifying but dizzying rate. We now use biomarkers to diagnose cardiovascular diseases and also to frame our treatment strategies. Thus, there is a clear need for a scholarly compilation of the state of the art of cardiac biomarkers. Dr. David Morrow has expertly edited an authoritative book that answers this need. The 34 chapters in Cardiovascular Biomarkers: Pathophysiology and Disease Mana- ment were written by a group of individuals who are internationally recognized thought leaders and experts in clinical and laboratory medicine.

Biomarkers of Necrosis.- Biomarkers of Myocardial Necrosis.- Analytical Issues for Clinical Use of Cardiac Troponin.- Defining Myocardial Infarction.- Biomarkers in the Emergency Department.- Cardiac Troponin for Risk Assessment and Management of Non-ST-Elevation Acute Coronary Syndrome.- Biomarkers of Necrosis for Risk Assessment and Management of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction.- Cardiac Troponin After Revascularization Procedures.- Biomarkers of Necrosis in Heart Failure.- Is There a Role for Cardiac Troponin and Other Biomarkers in Patients With Pulmonary Embolism?.- Cardiac Troponin in Conditions Other Than Acute Coronary Syndromes.- Degradation of Cardiac Troponins.- Biomarkers of Ischemia.- Developing a Marker of Ischemia.- Emerging Biomarkers of Myocardial Ischemia.- Biomarkers of Inflammation.- Inflammation in Cardiovascular Disease.- Analytic Issues for Clinical Use of C-Reactive Protein.- C-Reactive Protein as a Tool for Risk Assessment in Primary Prevention.- High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein for Risk Assessment in Acute Coronary Syndromes.- Beyond C-Reactive Protein.- Biomarkers of Inflammation.- Biomarkers of Infection and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease.- Biomarkers of Hemodynamic Stress.- Biology of Natriuretic Peptides.- Analytic Issues for Clinical Use of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and N-Terminal Pro B-Type Natriuretic Peptide.- Clinical Use of Natriuretic Peptides for the Diagnosis and Management of Heart Failure.- Natriuretic Peptides in Acute and Chronic Coronary Artery Disease.- Novel Markers of Hemodynamic Stress.- Biomarkers of Platelet Function and Hemostasis.- Clinical and Research Applications of Markers of Thrombosis.- Measures of Platelet Activation and Aggregation.- Monocyte-Platelet Aggregates in Patients With Ischemic Heart Disease.-Biomarkers of Dyslipidemia and Lipid Modification.- Measurement of Atherogenic Lipoproteins in Cardiovascular Risk Assessment.- Lipoprotein-Associated Phospholipase A2 and Other Lipid-Related Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Disease.- Contemporary and Future Applications of Biomarkers in clinical care.- A Multimarker Approach to Evaluation of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome.- Cardiac Biomarkers by Point-of-Care Testing.- Proteomics and Discovery of Cardiovascular Biomarkers.- Genetic Markers in Cardiovascular Disease.