Serial high sensitivity troponin sampling in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Infectious Diseases
• Biomarkers

Background:

• Cardiac troponin (cTn) is studied for COVID-19 risk stratification.
• Existing studies often lack analysis of cTn changes over time.
• Serial measurements may offer deeper prognostic insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the prognostic significance of serial cardiac troponin measurements.
• To assess cTn changes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
• To determine if serial cTn data improves risk stratification.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 228 hospitalized COVID-19 patients (April 2020-March 2021).
• Utilized stored blood samples for high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-cTnT) and troponin I (hs-cTnI) assays.
• Analyzed troponin levels and their trends (increasing, decreasing, stable).

Main Results:

• Myocardial injury, indicated by elevated hs-cTnT or hs-cTnI, significantly increased odds of death (OR > 7).
• An increasing troponin pattern correlated with higher mortality risk compared to stable levels (OR > 4.4).
• Among patients with myocardial injury, an increasing hs-cTnT pattern showed higher mortality odds than a decreasing pattern (OR = 4.80).

Conclusions:

• Myocardial injury in COVID-19 patients is associated with increased mortality.
• Serial hs-cTn testing provides valuable prognostic information beyond single measurements.
• Tracking troponin trends aids in risk stratification for hospitalized COVID-19 patients.