Ischemia Modified Albumin (IMA)

Ischemia-Modified Albumin (IMA) - In cases of Ischemia - Albumin undergoes a conformational change and loses its ability to bind transitional metals (copper or cobalt). IMA can be used to assess the proportion of modified albumin in ischemia. Its use is limited to ruling out ischemia rather than a diagnostic test for the occurrence of ischemia. Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a sensitive biomarker of cardiac ischemia. Ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a relatively new biomarker in the identification of myocardial ischemia in advance or in the absence of myocardial necrosis. Since IMA can be detected before troponin  and has a high sensitivity (82%) compared to traditional diagnostic tools, it is valuable for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia in patients presenting with chest pain at the emergency department. It is well known that IMA rises within minutes from the onset of the ischemic event and remains elevated for several hours after cessation of ischemia.