Viewpoint: Management of the patient with an ‘incidentally’ raised troponin

Troponin assays are a valuable tool in early risk stratification of patients with ischaemic sounding chest pain. However, troponin is often measured outside of this clinical context. The finding of a raised troponin value may be misinterpreted as an acute coronary syndrome leading to unnecessary and sometimes dangerous anticoagulation. This article looks at some of the considerations which need to be made when interpreting the significance of a raised troponin value.