To assess the frequency, magnitude, and prognostic significance of elevations in cardiac troponin T in noncardiac critically ill patients, including elevations at levels below the limit of detection of traditional assays.
Using a high-sensitivity assay, we measured troponin T (high-sensitivity troponin T [hsTnT]) in 451 unique patients within 12 hours of their admission to a noncardiac medical intensive care unit. Outcomes of patients, grouped by hsTnT level, were compared.
Overall, 98% of the study patients had detectable levels of hsTnT (>3 ng/L), and 33% had levels above the diagnostic cutoff of a traditional fourth-generation cardiac troponin T assay. Patient groups with higher hsTnT levels had markedly higher rates of in-hospital mortality (P < .001) and longer stays in the hospital and intensive care unit (P < .01).
In noncardiac critically ill patients, cardiac troponin T elevations are common but often at levels undetectable by traditional assays. hsTnT elevations predict a more complex clinical course and an increased risk of death.