Objective To evaluate the diagnostic value of human heart-type fatty acid-binding protein for early detection of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods Studies involving this biomarker were identified from MEDLINE, EMbase, CBM and VIP (1970 to 2006). Relevant journals (1980 to 2006) were also handsearched. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the QUADAS tool. Data extraction and analysis were conducted by software of EXCEL2003 and Metadisc. Results We included 13 studies, which were heterogeneous (P=0, I2=58.5%). Five studies (n=396) included in the group assessed the test at the first three hours after chest pain onset. These studies were homogeneous (P= 0.49, I2=0). The pooled sensitivity was 0.86 ( 95%CI 0.80 to 0.91), the pooled specificity was 0.76( 95%CI 0.80 to 0.91), and the area under the curve was 0.88 (SE=0.032 3). In the group of 0 to 6 hours after chest pain onset, 10 included studies (n=1 175) were heterogeneous (P=0, I2=69%). The pooled sensitivity was 0.86 (95%CI 0.83 to 0.89), the pooled specificity was 0.79 (95%CI 0.76 to 0.82), and the area under the curve was 0.92 (SE=0.019). In the group of 6 to 12 hours after chest pain onset, 4 included studies (n=215) were homogeneous (P=0.56, I2=0). The pooled sensitivity was 0.97 (95%CI 0.91 to 0.99), the pooled specificity was 0.52 (95%CI 0.42 to 0.61), and the area under the curve was 0.810 with (SE=0.152 2). In the group of 0 to 12 hours after chest pain, 11 included studies (n=1 352) were heterogeneous (P=0.56, I2=59%). The pooled sensitivity was 0.88 (95%CI 0.84 to 0.89), the pooled specificity was 0.75 (95%CI 0.71 to 0.78), and the areas under the curve was 0.91 (SE=0.016 4). Conclusions In this systematic review, we found that H-FABP has an acceptable diagnostic accuracy within 3 hours after the onset of symptoms, and within 12 hours after the onset of symptoms, H-FABP has a high diagnostic efficacy. So H-FABP may be a new symbol for the early diagnosis of AMI.