Myocardial Infarction 

Definition of Myocardial Infarction

The term acute myocardial infarction (MI) should be used when there is evidence of myocardial necrosis in a clinical setting consistent with acute myocardial ischemia. Under these conditions any one of the following criteria meets the diagnosis for MI:

● Detection of a rise and/or fall of cardiac biomarker values [preferably cardiac troponin (cTn)] with at least one value above the 99th percentile upper reference limit (URL) and with at least one of the following:

•         Symptoms of ischemia.

•         New or presumed new significant ST-segment–T wave (ST–T) changes or new left bundle branch block (LBBB).

•         Development of pathological Q waves in the ECG. Imaging evidence of new loss of viable myocardium or new regional wall motion abnormality.

•         Identification of an intracoronary thrombus by angiography or autopsy.

● Cardiac death with symptoms suggestive of myocardial ischemia and presumed new ischemic ECG changes or new LBBB, but death occurred before cardiac biomarkers were obtained, or before cardiac biomarker values would be increased.

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) related MI is arbitrarily defined by elevation of cTn values (>5 x 99th percentile URL) in patients with normal baseline values (≤99th percentile URL) or a rise of cTn values >20% if the baseline values are elevated and are stable or falling. In addition, either (i) symptoms suggestive of myocardial ischemia or (ii) new ischemic ECG changes or (iii) angiographic findings consistent with a procedural complication or (iv) imaging demonstration of new loss of viable myocardium or new regional wall motion abnormality are required.

● Stent thrombosis associated with MI when detected by coronary angiography or autopsy in the setting of myocardial ischemia and with a rise and/or fall of cardiac biomarker values with at least one value above the 99th percentile URL.

● Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) related MI is arbitrarily defined by elevation of cardiac biomarker values (>10 x 99th percentile URL) in patients with normal baseline cTn values (≤99th percentile URL). In addition, either (i) new pathological Q waves or new LBBB, or (ii) angiographic documented new graft or new native coronary artery occlusion, or (iii) imaging evidence of new loss of viable myocardium or new regional wall motion abnormality.