Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 11, 2026
Using Extraordinary Optical Transmission to Quantify Cardiac Biomarkers in Human Serum
Published on: December 13, 2017
High sensitivity troponin T in adult congenital heart disease
Justyna Rybicka1, Piotr Dobrowolski1, Magdalena Lipczyńska1
1Adult Congenital Heart Disease Department, Institute of Cardiology, Warsaw, Poland.
Insights
Elevated high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) is common in adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients and indicates significant ventricular dysfunction. hsTnT is a more specific predictor of this dysfunction than NT-pro-BNP.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Biomarkers
- Congenital Heart Disease
Background:
- High-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) assays aid in chronic heart failure (CHF) detection.
- Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients are considered at least Stage B CHF.
- Assessing hsTnT in ACHD patients is crucial for understanding their cardiac status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate hsTnT levels in ACHD patients.
- To determine the clinical significance of hsTnT in this population.
- To compare hsTnT with NT-pro-BNP as a predictor of ventricular dysfunction.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cross-sectional study involving 131 ACHD patients and 30 healthy controls.
- hsTnT and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) levels were measured.
- Clinical and echocardiographic evaluations were performed on all ACHD patients.
Main Results:
- 35.1% of ACHD patients exhibited abnormal hsTnT levels (>0.005 ng/mL), compared to 6.7% in controls (p=0.002).
- Elevated hsTnT demonstrated sensitivity (78.6%) and specificity (69.8%) for significant systemic ventricular dysfunction.
- hsTnT was independently associated with both systemic and pulmonary ventricular dysfunction, outperforming NT-pro-BNP.
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of ACHD patients show elevated hsTnT, indicating ventricular impairment.
- hsTnT serves as a more specific independent predictor of ventricular dysfunction in ACHD compared to NT-pro-BNP.
Background:
High sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) assays enable us to detect chronic heart failure (CHF). Adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) patients are classified as being in at least stage B of CHF. The purpose of the study was to assess hsTnT levels in ACHD patients and determine its clinical significance.
Methods:
This is a prospective cross-sectional study. We assessed hsTnT in 131 ACHD patients and in 30 healthy controls. All ACHD patients underwent routine clinical and echocardiographic evaluation and had hsTnT and N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) level measurements.
Results:
The cut-off value defining an abnormal hsTnT level was established as >0.005 ng/mL. 35.1% (n=46) of ACHD patients had abnormal hsTnT compared to 6.7% (n=2) of healthy controls (p=0.002). The prevalence of elevated hsTnT did not differ between simple and complex and between non-cyanotic and cyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD). The sensitivity and specificity of hsTnT for the detection of moderate or severe (significant) systemic ventricular dysfunction was 78.6% and 69.8%, respectively (OR 8.49; CI 95% 2.23-32.30; p<0,0001) whereas for significant pulmonary ventricular dysfunction it was 66.7% and 68.2%, respectively (OR 4.29; CI 95% 1.56-11.79; p=0.003). In multivariate logistic regression models elevated hsTnT, but not NT-pro-BNP, was independently associated with both significant systemic ventricular dysfunction (p=0.004) and significant pulmonary ventricular dysfunction (p=0.011).
Conclusions:
A troponin leak is observed in a substantial number of ACHD patients and is associated with significant systemic and pulmonary ventricular impairment. Compared to NT-pro-BNP, hsTnT is a more specific independent predictor of ventricular dysfunction in ACHD.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:20Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System I: Cardiac Biomarkers
The essential diagnostic tools for detecting myocardial necrosis and monitoring individuals suspected of having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) include:
Troponins
Troponins, particularly cardiac troponins I and T, are the most precise and sensitive markers of myocardial injury. They are detectable within 4-6 hours of myocardial injury and remain...
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome I: Introduction
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
01:29Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
01:22Rheumatic Heart Disease II: Clinical Manifestations and Diagnostic Studies
01:19Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System II: CRP, Hcy, and Cardiac Natriuretic Peptide Markers
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...