title: Cardiac troponin I in patients with acute lower limb ischemia.
abstract: The presence, cause, and clinical significance of elevated cardiac troponin I in patients with acute lower limb ischemia is yet unknown. Forty-six patients (20 men [43%]; mean age 72 +/- 10 years, range 42 to 92) with acute lower limb ischemia were enrolled in this study. Serial creatine kinase (CK), CK isoenzyme MB (CK-MB), and troponin I measurements were obtained in all consecutive patients. Peak levels were evaluated for each patient. Twenty-four patients (52%) had elevated peak troponin I levels (>0.2 ng/ml) during their hospitalization. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to their peak troponin I levels: 11 patients (24%) had peak troponin I levels >1 ng/ml (the high troponin I group), 13 (28%) had levels of 0.2 to 1 ng/ml (the intermediate troponin I group), and the remaining 22 (48%) had peak troponin I levels <0.2 ng/ml (the low troponin I group). The peak CK levels were 10,263 +/- 16,513, 1,294 +/- 1,512, and 934 +/- 1,045 IU/ml (p = 0.04) in the 3 different troponin I subgroups, respectively, and the peak CK-MB levels were 143 +/- 170, 38 +/- 31, and 38 +/- 43, respectively (p = 0.04). Troponin I was positively correlated with CK (R = 0.35, p = 0.017) and CK-MB (R = 0.38, p = 0.009). The mean length of hospitalization was 8.3 +/- 6.2 days for the whole study group and did not vary among the 3 troponin I groups (10.5 +/- 10.9 vs 8.6 +/- 4.9 vs 7.2 +/- 4.0 days, p = 0.762). There were no differences in mortality during hospitalization among the 3 groups (4 of 11 vs 1 of 13 vs 4 of 22 patients, p = 0.22). In conclusion, patients with acute lower limb ischemia often have elevated cardiac troponin I levels. Elevated troponin I levels were not associated with the duration of hospitalization or with in-hospital mortality in this group of patients.
authors: Red Cross General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
authors: Michael
authors: M
authors: Koutouzis
authors: Konstantinos
authors: K
authors: Kontaras
authors: George
authors: G
authors: Sfyroeras
authors: Konstantinos
authors: K
authors: Moulakakis
authors: Savvas
authors: S
authors: Nikolidakis
authors: Vasilios
authors: V
authors: Andrikopoulos
authors: Zenon S
authors: ZS
authors: Kyriakides
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007297:Inpatients; D007511:Ischemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019210:Troponin I; D052279:Creatine Kinase, MB Form