- Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentrations are greatly increased in patients with severe infections.
- Standard measurement of cTnI without suspicion of myocardial injury should be avoided
This data comes from a meta-analysis encompassing four studies from China in which cardiac troponin I values in COVID-19 patients were reported as well as disease severity. Of the 341 patients included in the meta-analysis, 123 (36%) had severe infections, defined differently according to study: ICU admission in two studies, onset of ARDS in one, and death in one.
cTnI values were taken during disease progression, thus the main question of predicting prognosis was not answered in this study. Standardized measurement of cTnI without suspicion of myocardial injury might lead to downstream testing.
Sources:
G. Lippi, C.J. Lavie and F. Sanchis-Gomar (March 10, 2020). Cardiac troponin I in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Evidence from a meta-analysis, Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2020.03.001
Meta-Analysis on Troponin I in Patients With Coronavirus (March 24, 2020). Retrieved from https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/journal-scans/2020/03/24/16/01/cardiac-troponin-i-in-patients-with-coronavirus