Cardiovascular outcome in hospitalized patients with minimal troponin I elevation and normal creatine phosphokinase.
BACKGROUND
Among patients with acute coronary syndrome, elevated cardiac troponin and creatine phosphokinase MB fraction levels have both prognostic and diagnostic values. However, in hospitalized patients, cardiac biomarkers are measured in a variety of clinical situations including but not limited to acute coronary syndrome. Moreover, these patients may have elevated troponin levels with no increase in creatine phosphokinase MB fraction levels.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the cardiovascular outcome of acutely ill, hospitalized patients with minimal troponin I increase with normal creatine phosphokinase MB fraction.


METHODS
We identified 64 patients retrospectively from our database with minimal troponin I increase and normal creatine phosphokinase MB fraction hospitalized between November 1998 and April 2000. Discharged patients were questioned about re-hospitalization for myocardial infarction, unstable coronary syndrome, congestive heart failure and percutaneous coronary intervention by means of a structured questionnaire. For those patients who died during hospitalization, data were collected from hospital records. For patients who died at home or at a different institution, a surviving relative completed the questionnaire. Primary outcomes were death, myocardial infarction and the need for revascularization or re-hospitalization.


RESULTS
Composite endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting and re-hospitalization for cardiac cause occurred in 35.95% of patients within 1 year.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a significant composite event rate of death, myocardial infarction or re-hospitalization for cardiac causes in acutely ill, hospitalized patients with normal creatine phosphokinase MB fraction and minimally elevated troponin I, regardless of the cause for hospitalization.
Srivathsan
Komandoor
K
Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Hospital Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, 13400 East Shea Boulevard, Scottsdale, AZ 85259, USA. srivathsan.komandoor@mayo.edu
Showalter
John
J
Wilkens
James
J
Hurley
Brian
B
Abbas
Amr
A
Loutfi
Hassan
H
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood*; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood*
D015415:Biomarkers; D007527:Isoenzymes; D019210:Troponin I; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form