Troponin-I as a prognosticator of mortality in severe sepsis patients

The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) as a 28-day mortality prognosticator and predictor for a drotrecogin alfa (activated) (DrotAA) survival benefit in recombinant human activated Protein C Worldwide Evaluation in Severe Sepsis patients.

Cardiac troponin-I was measured using the Access AccuTnI Troponin I assay (Beckman Coulter, Fullerton, CA). There were 598 patients (305 DrotAA, 293 placebo) with baseline cTnI data (cTnI negative [<0.06 ng/mL], n = 147; cTnI positive [>or=0.06 ng/mL], n = 451).

Cardiac troponin-I-positive patients were older (mean age, 61 vs 56 years; P = .002), were sicker (mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II, 26.1 vs 22.3; P < .001), had lower baseline protein C levels (mean level, 49% vs 56%; P = .017), and had higher 28-day mortality (32% vs 14%, P < .0001) than cTnI-negative patients. Elevated cTnI was an independent prognosticator of mortality (odds ratio, 2.020; 95% confidence interval, 1.153-3.541) after adjusting for other significant variables. Breslow-Day interaction test between cTnI levels and treatment was not significant (P = .65).

This is the largest severe sepsis study reporting an association between elevated cTnI and higher mortality. Cardiac troponin-I elevation was not predictive of a survival benefit with DrotAA treatment.