At a Glance Why Get Tested? To determine if you have had a heart
attack or injury to heart muscle When to Get Tested?
Immediately, then followed by a series of troponin tests over
several hours if you are having chest pain or other symptoms
that may be due to a heart attack A blood sample drawn from a
vein in the arm Test Preparation Needed? The Test Sample What is
being tested? The troponins are a family of proteins found in
skeletal and heart muscle (cardiac) fibers. There are three
different types: troponin C (TnC), troponin T (TnT), and
troponin I (TnI). Together, these three proteins regulate
muscular contraction. Cardiac-specific troponins I and T (cTnI
and cTnT) are troponins that are found only in the heart. They
are normally present in very small to undetectable quantities in
the blood. When there is damage to heart muscle cells, cardiac-
specific troponins I and T are released into circulation. The
more damage there is, the greater their concentration in the
blood. The troponin test measures the amou