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Use of Cardiac Injury Markers in the Postmortem Diagnosis of Sudden Cardiac Death

Octavio Carvajal-Zarrabal1, Patricia M Hayward-Jones1, Cirilo Nolasco-Hipolito2

  • 1Biochemical and Nutrition Chemistry Area, University of Veracruz, SS Juan Pablo II s/n, 94294, Boca del Río, Veracruz, Mexico.

Journal of Forensic Sciences
|January 24, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Diagnosing sudden cardiac death (SCD) postmortem is challenging. Elevated blood troponin levels (cardiac troponin I and T) in corpses may aid in diagnosing SCD, according to this study.

Area of Science:

  • Forensic Pathology
  • Cardiovascular Pathology
  • Biomarker Analysis

Background:

  • Sudden cardiac death (SCD) presents diagnostic challenges in forensic pathology.
  • Accurate postmortem diagnosis is crucial for understanding causes of death and public health.
  • Blood biomarkers are increasingly investigated for their utility in postmortem analyses.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the effectiveness of specific blood biomarkers in the postmortem diagnosis of SCD.
  • To determine if immunoassay-measured cardiac biomarkers can differentiate SCD cases from controls.
  • To assess the diagnostic value of creatine kinase CK-MB, myoglobin, troponins I and T (cTn-I and T), and lactate dehydrogenase.

Main Methods:

  • Comparison of biomarker levels between a group of 20 SCD cases and 8 control cases.
  • Utilized immunoassay techniques for measuring blood biomarker concentrations.
  • Employed variance analysis and Tukey's post hoc test for statistical significance (p < 0.05).

Main Results:

  • Significantly elevated levels of cardiac troponin T (cTn-T) and cardiac troponin I (cTn-I) were observed in SCD cases compared to controls (p < 0.05).
  • Biomarker levels were analyzed within 8 hours postmortem.
  • The control group primarily comprised cases of violent death.

Conclusions:

  • Postmortem blood troponin levels, specifically cTn-T and cTn-I, show potential as supportive indicators for diagnosing sudden cardiac death.
  • Further research may refine the application of these biomarkers in forensic pathology.
  • Immunoassay measurement of troponins offers a viable method for aiding SCD diagnosis in challenging forensic cases.

Keywords:
cardiac injury biomarkersforensic pathologyforensic sciencepostmortemsudden cardiac deathtroponin Itroponin T

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