title: The clinical value of serial measurement of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T in acute exacerbations ofchronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: To assess the prevalence and long-term prognostic value of a dynamic (rise/fall) pattern of cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) elevation during acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) compared with a stable hs-cTnT elevation.
  
  
  
  Prospective cohort study of unselected patients admitted with AECOPD to the emergency room of a university hospital. Serial hs-cTnT measurements were made during admission. Survival after a median of 1.8 years was recorded.
  
  
  
  83 patients with a mean age of 72 years and a mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) of 0.9 L. The mortality rate was 62%. The median hs-cTnT at admission was 27 ng/L (IQR 13.4-51)). 65 patients (78%) had at least one hs-cTnT measurement ≥14 ng/L, and among these the median change in hs-cTnT was 50.7% (IQR 25.2-89.4). Of the patients with serial hs-cTnT measurements, 53 (82%) had a dynamic pattern (ie, ΔTnT ≥20%). In multivariate analysis, stable hs-cTnT elevation was associated with increasing age (OR per 5 years with 95% CI 1.9 (1.01 to 3.7), p=0.045) and low Hb (OR 7.3 (1.1 to 49), p=0.039). Stable hs-cTnT elevation was associated with increased mortality with an HR of 2.4 (95%CI 1.1 to 5.3, p=0.027) in the multivariate Cox regression analysis.
  
  
  
  Among the patients with at least one hs-cTnT above the 99th centile, 82% had a rise/fall pattern, as requested to make a diagnosis of myocardial infarction. Compared to a dynamic rise/fall pattern of hs-cTnT, a stable and moderately elevated hs-cTnT during AECOPD is associated with poor long-term prognosis.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine , Akershus University Hospital , Lørenskog , Norway ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Arne Didrik
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Høiseth
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine , Akershus University Hospital , Lørenskog , Norway ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Anke
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Neukamm
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway ; Division of Diagnostics and Technology , Akershus University Hospital , Lørenskog , Norway.
authors.forename: Tor-Arne
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hagve
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine , Akershus University Hospital , Lørenskog , Norway ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Torbjørn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Omland
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine , Akershus University Hospital , Lørenskog , Norway ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Pål H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Brekke
authors.affiliation: Division of Medicine , Akershus University Hospital , Lørenskog , Norway ; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo , Oslo , Norway.
authors.forename: Vidar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Søyseth