High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Levels in Supraventricular Tachyarrhythmias

Abstract

Background: High-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays have provided a significant contribution for the early diagnosis of cardiovascular events. However, elevated cardiac troponin levels may occur in other clinical situations as supraventricular tachyarrhythmias with concerns about the mechanism of this elevation.

Objectives and methods: The goal of this study was to describe the performance of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) assay in patients presenting to the emergency department with a primary diagnosis of supraventricular tachyarrhythmia and to evaluate its relation with cardiovascular events during follow-up.

Results: One hundred patients were included; mean age was 64 ± 12 years and 59.8% were men. The most common arrhythmia at admission was atrial fibrillation (68%), followed by atrial flutter (16%) and reentrant tachycardia (16%). The results of the first determination of hs-cTnT were positive (>14 ng/L) in 44.2% of the patients and the second determination was positive in 50.7% of the cases. The variation between the first and the second troponin levels was 1 (0-5) ng/L, and was >7 ng/L in 24.6% of the cases, with a clear trend toward higher troponin values in reentrant tachycardias. Four events were reported at 30 days; in all the cases the patients had presented atrial fibrillation and there were no significant differences in hs-cTnT values.

Conclusions: There are a significant number of patients with supraventricular tachyarrhythmias who present elevated hs-cTnT levels. The association of this elevation with cardiovascular events seems to be very low.

Keywords: atrial fibrillation; electrophysiology - clinical; new technology.