Relation between troponin T and the risk of subsequent cardiac events in unstable coronary artery disease: Lindahl B, Venge P, Wallentin L, et al. Circulation. 1996; 93:1651–1657

Abstract

Background Early risk assessment is important in patients with unstable coronary artery disease, ie, unstable angina or non–Q-wave myocardial infarction. Some previous small studies have indicated that patients with unstable angina and elevation of troponin T (tn-T) have worse short-term and long-term prognoses. In this study, the prognostic value of tn-T was evaluated and compared with other early available risk indicators. Methods and Results Nine hundred seventy-six patients participating in a randomized study of low-molecular-weight heparin in unstable coronary artery disease were followed for 5 months after the index episode. The risk of cardiac events increased with increasing maximal levels of tn-T obtained in the initial 24 hours. The lowest quintile (<0.06 μg/L) constituted a low-risk group, the second quintile (0.06 to 0.18 μg/L) an intermediate-risk group, and the three highest quintiles (≥0.18 μg/L) a high-risk group, with 4.3%, 10.5%, and 16.1% risk of either myocardial infarction or cardiac ...