Kenneth W. Mahaffey, MD: From Duke Clinical Research Institute, Durham, North Carolina.

We evaluated more than 26 000 subjects from 4 large trials that included subjects with non–ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes to determine the prognostic importance of creatine kinase-myocardial band (CK-MB) elevation after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery during the index hospitalization. Results showed that mortality at 6 months increased with increasing peak CK-MB ratios (CK-MB value post-CABG/CK-MB upper limit of normal), and peak CK-MB ratio was an independent predictor of 6-month outcome.