What do you consider a positive troponin?

I work on a cardiac unit with a positive troponin >0.1.

negative values at my institution are

0.6-1.5 ng/dL are generally consistent with the criteria for AMI.

I'm surprised that anyone with a trop of 0.1 or more is admitted to critical care though. Some elevations can be attributed to other causes.

My institution is 0.2 or higher for a positive result.

No one with elevated trops goes to an ICU bed at my facility unless they are seriously unstable. That's what the cardiac stepdown unit is for (they take NTG gtts, do pre/post angio care, etc.)

I've never worked anywhere with a "CCU" and don't know what kind of patients they get. Is that an ICU bed or a stepdown bed?

I think our hospital considers anything over 0.1 as positive. However, these patients will usually go to a telemetry floor unless unstable or having an active MI. When I was on tele, we would routinely get patients on Nitro gtt. Positive troponins can be attributed to renal failure. I had a patient the other day that has chronically elevated troponins, although at this time I can't remember why, but every time he comes into the hospital, his troponins are high. No chest pain or other symptoms at all. Go figure.

I've never worked anywhere with a "CCU" and don't know what kind of patients they get. Is that an ICU bed or a stepdown bed?

I think hospitals with a CCU usually take medical cardiac and then the CVICU will take the cardiac surgical patients. My hospital is smaller so we do both in one unit + will often take more step-down type patients if acuity allows.

At my hospital, MI positive is considered >.06, if they are slightly above this, they go to our cardiac step down. In order to go to the ICU, usually they are around 5 or greater. Our step down is staffed by the ICU nurses though, so we know how to deal with AMI patients.

Wow, 0.1? At my hospital 0.5 is considered positive. They will stay on our stepdown unit.