Selection of healthy reference populations and definition of exclusion criteria for deriving 99th percentiles for high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays (hs-cTn) used in clinical practice and research vary considerably. Dr. Fred S. Apple discusses the Universal Sample Bank findings and its clinical implications:
Sex-specific 99th percentiles varied according to the statistical method and hs-cTn assay used
Not all assays provided measurable concentrations for women to qualify as hs assays
Surrogate exclusion criteria used to define normality tended to lower 99th percentiles
Download a copy of the Clinical Chemistry article “Sex-Specific 99th Percentile Upper Reference Limits for High Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Assays Derived Using a Universal Sample Bank.”
As a bonus, a podcast interview with Dr. Fred Apple, co-author of this important study, is also available. Learn how decision concentrations used can affect diagnosis, risk-outcome assessments, and analytical characteristics.