Cardiac Biomarkers
Current Standards, Future Trends

TARGET AUDIENCE

This activity has been designed to meet the educational needs of physician assistants and nurse practitioners in primary care with patients at risk for cardiovascular disease, particularly acute coronary syndrome.

Original Release Date: October 2011
Expiration Date: October 31, 2012
Estimated Time to Complete this Activity: 1 hour
Medium: Printed journal and online CE/CME

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The primary objective of this educational initiative is to provide clinicians in primary care with the most up-to-date information regarding the use and interpretation of cardiac biomarkers to confirm or rule out certain cardiovascular diagnoses.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES

After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:

• List cardiac and noncardiac conditions (other than ischemic heart disease) that may explain elevations in cardiac troponin levels.
• Explain how each of the following biomarkers is currently considered most clinically useful and reliable: B natriuretic peptide and NT-proBNP, C-reactive protein, creatine kinase–MB, and myoglobin.
• Discuss what is currently known about the role played by heart-type fatty acid binding protein, ischemia-modified albumin, and homocysteine in the evaluation of patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome.
• Describe the current understanding of specific acute inflammatory markers and their use to identify stable, vulnerable, and/or ruptured atherosclerotic plaque.

FACULTY

Grant R. Brame, MSPAS, PA-C, is a cardiothoracic surgery PA at Fairfield Medical Center in Lancaster, Ohio. William A. Childers Jr, EdD, PA-C, is Academic Coordinator at the Marietta College Physician Assistant Program in Marietta, Ohio.

ACCREDITATION STATEMENT:

Physician Assistants:
This program has been reviewed and is approved for a maximum of 1.0 hour of American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) Category I CME credit by the Physician Assistant Review Panel. Approval is valid for one year from the issue date of October 2011. Participants may submit the self-assessment at any time during that period.

This program was planned in accordance with AAPA’s CME Standards for Enduring Material Programs and for Commercial Support of Enduring Material Programs.

Successful completion of the self-assessment is required to earn Category I CME credit. Successful completion is defined as a cumulative score of at least 70% correct.

Nurse Practitioners: This program has been approved by the Nurse Practitioner Association New York State (The NPA) for 1.0 contact hour.

DISCLOSURE OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The faculty reported the following financial relationships or relationships to products or devices they or their spouse/life partner have with commercial interests related to the content of this CME activity: Grant R. Brame, MSPAS, PA-C, and William A. Childers Jr, EdD, PA-C, reported no significant financial relationship with any commercial entity related to this activity.

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION

The fee for participating and receiving CME credit for this activity is $10.00. During the period October 2011 through October 31, 2012, participants must:

1. read the learning objectives and faculty disclosures;
2. study the educational activity;
3. go to www.clinicianreviews.com/CECourses.aspx, follow links to the posttest for this activity, and provide payment information via our secure server;
4. complete the 10-question posttest by recording the best answer to each question; and
5. record their response to each of the additional evaluation questions.

If you have any questions, e-mail CR.evaluations@qhc.com. Upon successful completion of an online posttest, with a score of 70% or better, and the completion of the online activity evaluation form, a statement of credit will be made available immediately.

DISCLOSURE OF UNLABELED USE

This educational activity may contain discussion of published and/or investigational uses of agents that are not indicated by the FDA. AAPA, The NPA, and Quadrant HealthCom Inc. do not recommend the use of any agent outside of the labeled indications.

The opinions expressed in this educational activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily represent the views of AAPA, The NPA, or Quadrant HealthCom Inc. Please refer to the official prescribing information for each product for discussion of approved indications, contraindications, and warnings.

DISCLAIMER

Participants have an implied responsibility to use the newly acquired information to enhance patient outcomes and their own professional development. The information presented in this activity is not meant to serve as a guideline for patient management. Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and the possible contraindications or dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.