[Relationship between highly sensitive cardiac troponin T and sepsis and outcome in critically ill patients]

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Biomarkers
• Sepsis Pathophysiology

Background:

• Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.
• Cardiac involvement is common in sepsis, but specific biomarkers for early detection and prognosis are needed.
• Highly sensitive cardiac Troponin T (hs-cTn T) is a sensitive marker for myocardial injury.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prognostic value of hs-cTn T in critically ill patients with sepsis.
• To determine the association between hs-cTn T levels and sepsis severity.
• To assess the relationship between hs-cTn T and 28-day mortality in critically ill patients.

Main Methods:

• Prospective enrollment of 125 critically ill patients in an ICU.
• Measurement of serum hs-cTn T levels within two hours of ICU admission.
• Statistical analyses including univariate and multivariate linear regression for hs-cTn T predictors and logistic regression for mortality risk factors.

Main Results:

• Patients with sepsis had significantly higher hs-cTn T levels compared to non-sepsis patients (52.0 ng/L vs 14.0 ng/L, P<0.001).
• hs-cTn T levels were similar across different sepsis severity classifications (common, severe, septic shock).
• hs-cTn T was significantly higher in non-survivors than survivors (44.5 ng/L vs 27 ng/L, P<0.001), but was not an independent risk factor for death.
• Age, sepsis, and serum creatinine were independent risk factors for elevated hs-cTn T.

Conclusions:

• Elevated serum hs-cTn T is associated with the presence of sepsis in critically ill patients.
• hs-cTn T levels do not appear to be associated with sepsis severity.
• hs-cTn T was not found to be an independent predictor of 28-day mortality in this cohort.