Patent ID: 7879558

Claim:
A method of identifying patients at risk of mortality at three years after an ischemic event, at risk for hemorrhage after receiving reperfusion therapy or long-term risk of mortality or arrhythmia in a non-acute patient comprising the steps of: measuring the level of an ischemic marker in a body fluid sample from said patient before anti-ischemic treatment, wherein the ischemic marker is unbound free fatty acid; comparing the measured level of the ischemic marker from the patient to a threshold level of the ischemic marker, wherein a threshold level of unbound free fatty acid of 1.5 to 2.5 nM signifies low risk, a threshold level of unbound free fatty acid of 2.5 to 4.0 nM signifies low to medium risk, a threshold level of 4.0 to 7.5 nM unbound free fatty acid signifies medium to high risk and a threshold level of unbound free fatty acid greater than 7.5 nM signifies highest risk, wherein said threshold level is determined from measuring the ischemic marker in body fluid of an ischemic population; and correlating the measured level of the ischemic marker from the patient with the threshold level, thereby identifying patients at risk of mortality at three years after an ischemic event, at risk for hemorrhage after receiving reperfusion therapy or long-term risk of mortality or arrhythmia in a non-acute patient.