Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine (May 2021)
High-Sensitivity Cardiac Troponin Predicts Major Cardiovascular Events in Diabetic Patients With Critical Limb Ischemia and Foot Lesions
Abstract
Background: Diabetic patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) and foot lesions show a poor prognosis. Optimal risk stratification to guide tailored intervention is still uncertain. The aim of the present study was to assess the prognostic role of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-TnT) in such a high-risk population.Methods and Results: Clinical, laboratory, and interventional data, as well as the SPINACH score, were collected. Hs-TnT was measured at hospital admission. All patients were followed up for at least 1 year. The primary endpoint was the cumulative occurrence of major cardiovascular events (MACEs, all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke). The secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Overall, 618 patients were included and followed for a median of 981 (557–1,325) days. Diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) was established in 270 (43.7%) patients. Median hs-TnT at admission was 31 (20–59) ng/L, with 525 (85%) patients over the upper reference limit. Hs-TnT values were significantly higher in patients with established CAD (39 vs. 29 ng/L, p < 0.01). Hs-TnT was an independent predictor of MACE (HR 2.440, 95% CI 1.706–3.489, p < 0.001). The best cut-offs were 40 ng/L (AUC 0.711) for patients with established CAD and 25 ng/L (AUC 0.725) for those without. Hs-TnT emerged also as an independent predictor of all-cause mortality. The addition of hs-TnT improved prognostic value of the SPINACH score.Conclusions: Hs-TnT is a powerful biomarker for prognostic stratification of diabetic CLI patients with foot lesions. This is confirmed independently to CAD diagnosis and permits the identification of higher risk patients requiring tailored intervention.
Keywords
