In the recent Heart paper, Cuculi et al1 from Oxford University challenge two conventional wisdoms in clinical cardiology: first, biomarkers do not have a role in the management of patients presenting with suspected ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); and second, in the absence of cardiogenic shock, there is no remaining unmet clinical need in STEMI as contemporary coronary reperfusion strategies yield excellent patient outcomes.

In their investigation, the authors report the course of plasma neuropeptide Y levels in patients undergoing successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and relate these to non-invasive and invasive measures of the success of …