Thursday December 13, 2007
Value of Troponins in Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Troponin level is still struggling to find its place in non-cardiac diseases. A meta-analysis is performed in Italy to see prognostic value of troponins in acute pulmonary embolism for short-term death and adverse outcome events (composite of death and any of the following: shock, need for thrombolysis, endotracheal intubation, catecholamine infusion, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or recurrent pulmonary embolism).

Data of 20 studies, spread from January 1998 to November 2006 (including 1985 patients) were included in the analysis.

Results:

• 122 of 618 patients with elevated troponin levels died (19.7%) compared with 51 of 1367 with normal troponin levels (3.7%).
• Elevated troponin levels were significantly associated with short-term mortality, with death resulting from pulmonary embolism and with adverse outcome events
• Elevated troponin levels were associated with a high mortality in the subgroup of hemodynamically stable patients.

Study concluded that — Elevated troponin levels identify patients with acute pulmonary embolism at high risk of short-term death and adverse outcome events.


Reference: Click to get abstract/article

Prognostic Value of Troponins in Acute Pulmonary Embolism - Circulation. 2007;116:427-433.)