Cardiac troponin I: A marker of acute heart rejection in infant and child heart recipients?

• Published in: Pediatric transplantation 2003-02, Vol.7 (1), p.43-45
• Main Authors: Siaplaouras, J., Thul, J., Krämer, U., Bauer, J., Schranz, D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; cardiac troponin I; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiopathies: etiologic forms (general aspects and miscellaneous); Child; Child, Preschool; children; Female; Graft Rejection - diagnosis; Heart; Heart Transplantation; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Male; Medical sciences; Myocardium - metabolism; rejection; Retrospective Studies; Sensitivity and Specificity; Troponin I - blood
• ISSN: 1397-3142; 1399-3046
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1399-3046.2003.02049.x

: Acute rejection of the donor heart is a major cause of mortality in infant heart transplant recipients. The early diagnosis of acute cardiac rejection (ACR) is crucial. Non‐invasive methods have shown poor sensitivity in detecting rejection when compared to endomyocardial biopsies (EMB). We assessed troponin I as a new marker to diagnose cardiac rejection. Serum cardiac troponin I (cTNI) levels were retrospectively analysed in 25 heart transplant patients (ages, 2 wk to 13 yr; mean age, 3 months) presenting 36 acute rejections. In early post‐operative rejection and initially elevated cTNI levels, rejection was associated with a second increase of serum cTNI concentrations in 21% of the patients (p = 0.15). If cTNI levels were in normal range before ACR an elevation was monitored in 59% of the rejection periods (p