Final answer:
CK levels usually reach peak values within 3 to 12 hours after the onset of chest pain following a Myocardial infarction (MI), also known as a heart attack.
Step-by-step explanation:
Following a myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels reach peak values within a specific timeframe. The correct answer to the question 'Following an MI, when do CK levels reach peak values?' is b. Within 3 to 12 hours of the onset of chest pain. CPK is considered an important diagnostic marker enzyme because it is the first enzyme to increase in the blood plasma soon after a heart attack. The plasma concentration of the CPK-MB isoenzyme, which is specific to myocardial tissue, begins to rise within a few hours after the start of a heart attack, peaks at around 24 hours, and then returns to normal over a few days.