Myocardial infarct: no one size fits all.

Myocardial infarction (MI) connotes an appropriate sense of urgency to both healthcare workers and the lay community. The heightened risk of death in the period immediately after the acute coronary event makes MI a medical emergency in which response times are measured in minutes. Clinical signs, symptoms, and electrocardiographic evaluations currently are supplemented by highly specific cardiac markers that detect even minor amounts of myocardial necrosis: the pathonomia of MI. Indeed, major components of the roots of the subspecialty of cardiology can be traced to the concentration of resources and expertise derived from the establishment of coronary care units and studies of MI.