title: Mortality in patients undergoing open aortoiliac surgery: prognostic value of troponin T in the immediate postoperative period.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Patients undergoing open aortoiliac surgery constitute a high-risk subgroup. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between postoperative troponin T (TnT) elevation with the associated postoperative mortality, and mean hospital stay.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a prospective observational study of consecutive patients who underwent open aortoiliac surgery during 2006. TnT levels in the first 72 hours after the operation, immediate mortality, postoperative care unit stay, and total postoperative hospital stay were recorded. Statistical analyses were performed with the program SPSS 14.0; the chi-square test (or the Fisher's exact test) was used for qualitative variables and the Mann-Whitney test for quantitative variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 65 patients included in the study, postoperative TnT was elevated in 14 (21.5%) patients. No significant differences were found in age, sex, hypertension, dyslipidemia, smoking, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, bronchopathy, or renal failure between groups. Mortality in patients with elevated TnT levels was significantly higher (42% compared with 3.92%; relative risk 10.93 +/- 0.76; p = 0.001). Likewise, their mean postoperative intensive care unit stay was significantly greater (23.21 +/- 6.96 days compared to 2.86 +/- 1.96; p < 0.001). This finding resulted in a significantly longer postoperative hospital stay (32.57 +/- 25.38 days compared with 12.47 +/- 2.21).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TnT level in the immediate postoperative period is a highly relevant indicator of prognosis in patients undergoing major vascular surgery.
authors.affiliation: Angiology and Vascular Surgery Division, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain. brizsanz@yahoo.es
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Brizuela Sanz
authors.forename: José Antonio
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: González Fajardo
authors.forename: Lucas Mengíbar
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.forename: Roberto Salvador
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Calvo
authors.forename: Luis Alberto
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Carpintero Mediavilla
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaquero Puerta
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001018:Aortic Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D007083:Iliac Artery / Q000601:surgery*; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020107:Troponin T / Q000097:blood*; D015854:Up-Regulation; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000401:mortality*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C545568:TNNT2 protein, human; D020107:Troponin T