Serial cardiac biomarkers for risk stratification of patients with COVID-19

Kwaku Tawiah1, Laurel Jackson2, Catherine Omosule1

  • 1Department of Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States.

Clinical Biochemistry
|June 12, 2022
PubMed

Insights

High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hsTnI) and other biomarkers predict COVID-19 outcomes. HsTnI is the strongest predictor of mortality and intubation, supporting its use in patient triage.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Biomarker Research

Background:

  • Elevated cardiac biomarkers are linked to adverse outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
  • The prognostic value of a multimarker panel in a diverse COVID-19 population needs further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the prognostic and predictive capabilities of a multimarker panel in COVID-19 patients.
  • To assess the association of cardiac biomarkers with mortality and intubation risk.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective assessment of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hsTnI), NT-pro B-type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP), Galectin-3 (Gal-3), and procalcitonin (PCT).
  • Analysis of 4,282 serial samples from 358 hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
  • Outcomes included 30-day in-hospital mortality and 10-day intubation requirement.

Main Results:

  • Baseline hsTnI demonstrated the highest predictive accuracy for 30-day mortality (AUC 0.81).
  • Low baseline hsTnI (<3.5 ng/L) identified patients at low risk for mortality and intubation.
  • Increasing hsTnI concentrations were associated with reduced survival and increased mortality risk.

Conclusions:

  • HsTnI, NT-proBNP, Gal-3, and PCT are elevated in COVID-19 patients with worse outcomes.
  • HsTnI emerged as the sole independent predictor of 30-day mortality and intubation.
  • The study supports the use of hsTnI for triaging COVID-19 patients.
Abstract

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