Outcome of patients with elevated cardiac troponin I level after mild trauma

The objective of this study was to evaluate whether increased c-Tnl in patients suffering from mild trauma without cardiac disease may be prognostic for future cardiac events. Consecutive patients suffering from mild trauma were recruited and evaluated for levels of creatinine, creatine-kinase (CK) and c-Tnl. Patients with elevated c-Tnl were selected and followed up for six months for cardiac events (cardiac death, Myocardial Infarction, Acute Coronary Syndromes, cardiac syncope, pacemaker or Intracardiac Device Implantation, Percutaneous Cardiac Intervention, and aortic-coronary bypass). No relationship was found between levels of c-Tnl and CK or creatinine. Patients with elevated c-Tnl suffered significantly more of cardiac events than did patients with normal levels of c-Tnl. Increased of c-Tnl in patients experiencing mild trauma but not cardiac diseases may be a preclinic index of future cardiac disease.