Early assessment of cardiac troponin I predicts the postoperative cardiac status and clinical course after congenital heart disease surgery

Cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is a regulatory protein with a high sensitivity and specificity for cardiac injury. Preoperative and postoperative elevations of cTnI are usually considered predictors of the mortality and morbidity. However, little is known about the relationship between the cTnI and postoperative course after the congenital heart disease (CHD) operation. Sixty-five consecutive patients who underwent cardiac surgery for CHD at our institution between March 2016 and January 2017 were included. The cTnI was measured after the operation. Also, the association between the cTnI and duration of the catecholamine use, ICU stay, aortic cross clamp time, and other clinical parameters were assessed. The cTnI level on postoperative day 1 was positively correlated with the duration of the catecholamine use (p < 0.001) and ICU stay (p < 0.001). Also, a higher cTnI level was associated with a lower urine volume and higher lactate level 24 h after the ICU admission. In the multivariable regression analysis, the cTnI was a significant independent predictor of the catecholamine use (p = 0.002) and ICU stay (p = 0.003). The cTnI level on postoperative day 1 was a predictor of the duration of the catecholamine use and ICU stay.