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Comparison of the new high sensitive cardiac troponin T with myoglobin, h-FABP and cTnT for early identification of myocardial necrosis in the acute coronary syndrome

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Abstract

Background

We sought to determine the performance of the new high sensitivity cardiac troponin T assay (TnThs) for early diagnosis of myocardial infarction in patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and compare it with the fourth generation cTnT assay, myoglobin and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (h-FABP).

Methods

Ninety-four patients with diagnosis of suspected ACS without ST-segment elevation admitted to our chest pain unit were included. Patients were divided according to time from onset of symptoms to presentation into an early presenter group (<4 h) and a late presenter group (≥4 h). A median of six samples (range 2–8) were available per patient. The diagnostic performance of TnThs was assessed using ROC analysis. Areas under the curve (AUC) of baseline and follow-up results of TnThs, cTnT, myoglobin, and h-FABP were compared using c statistics.

Results

The TnThs assay allows an excellent prediction of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (non-STEMI) at presentation, particularly among late presenters. A follow-up sample improves diagnostic performance in a time-dependent manner. The AUC of TnThs was superior to cTnT at all time points. The performance of TnThs was at least as good as myoglobin and h-FABP at presentation and during follow-up.

Conclusions

A baseline sample of TnThs allows an earlier prediction of non-STEMI than the less sensitive and precise fourth generation cTnT assay. Probably, this excellent performance of TnThs at baseline and follow-up could obviate the need for other early markers of necrosis in future.

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Acknowledgments

The investigations were supported by Roche Diagnostics, Germany providing assays for TnThs. EG has received research grants for clinical trials from Roche Diagnostics & MSD Germany. He is consultant to Roche Diagnostics and has received speakers honoraria from Roche Diagnostics and Mitsubishi Chemicals. HAK has developed the cTnT assay and holds a patent jointly with Roche Diagnostics. He has received grants and research support from several companies, and has received honoraria for lectures from Roche Diagnostics. Dr. D. Zdunek and Prof. G. Hess are employees of Roche Diagnostics responsible for the preclinical testing of TnThs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medizinische Klinik, Abteilung für Innere Medizin III, Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 410, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany

    Kerstin Kurz, Evangelos Giannitsis, Maike Becker & Hugo A. Katus

  2. Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Nonnenwald 2, Penzberg, Germany

    Georg Hess & Dietmar Zdunek

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  1. Kerstin Kurz
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  2. Evangelos Giannitsis
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  3. Maike Becker
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  4. Georg Hess
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  5. Dietmar Zdunek
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  6. Hugo A. Katus
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Correspondence to Kerstin Kurz.

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Kurz, K., Giannitsis, E., Becker, M. et al. Comparison of the new high sensitive cardiac troponin T with myoglobin, h-FABP and cTnT for early identification of myocardial necrosis in the acute coronary syndrome. Clin Res Cardiol 100, 209–215 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-010-0230-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00392-010-0230-y

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