[Recurrent hospitalizations due to false positive troponin in a patient presenting with chest pain]

A 58 year old male patient was hospitalized numerous times due to an elevated troponin I level in spite of the absence of specific chest pain and ischemic changes on ECG. The patient had undergone two coronary angiography procedures and numerous cardiac studies without evidence of ischemic heart disease. The elevated troponin level remained unchanged in between hospitalizations while the patient was asymptomatic. Further workup revealed that the troponin I level was normal when tested with an alternative laboratory kit. The troponin T level was also normal. This case report underscores the problematic nature of relying on an elevated troponin level as the sole component in the diagnosis of coronary disease.