Does diagnosis using hs-cTnT compared to cTn affect outcomes and resource utilization in patients with a first MI?
The introduction of hs-cTnT for diagnosing MI was associated with increased MI incidence and downstream revascularizations, leading to a reduced risk of reinfarction without changing overall survival.
BACKGROUND: It remains unknown how the introduction of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) has affected the incidence, prognosis, and use of coronary angiographies and revascularizations in patients with myocardial infarction (MI). OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate how the incidence of MI and prognosis after a first MI was affected by the introduction of hs-cTnT. METHODS: In a cohort study, the authors included all patients with a first MI from the Swedish National Patient Registry from 2009 to 2013. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for risk of all-cause mortality, reinfarction, coronary angiographies, and revascularizations in patients with MI diagnosed using hs-cTnT compared with those diagnosed using conventional troponins (cTn). RESULTS: During the study period, 47,133 MIs were diagnosed using cTn and 40,746 using hs-cTnT. The rate of MI increased by 5% (95% CI: 0% to 10%) after the introduction of hs-cTnT. During 3.9 ± 2.8 years of follow-up, there were 33,492 deaths, with no difference in the risk of all-cause mortality (adjusted HR: 1.00; 95% CI: 0.97 to 1.02). There were, in total, 15,766 reinfarctions during 3.1 ± 2.3 years of follow-up, with the risk of reinfarction reduced by 11% in patients diagnosed using hs-cTnT (adjusted HR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.86 to 0.91). The use of coronary angiographies (adjusted HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.14 to 1.18) and revascularizations (adjusted HR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.11 to 1.15) increased in the hs-cTnT group. CONCLUSIONS: In a nationwide cohort study including 87,879 patients with a first MI, the introduction of hs-cTnT was associated with an increased incidence of MI, although with no impact on survival. We also found a reduced risk of reinfarction alongside increased use of coronary angiographies and revascularizations.
“What we're seeing come out of Europe, to me, is reassuring and saying that appropriately we're probably going to pick up somewhere between 5% and 10% more MIs—a modest number, but something that should be manageable within our healthcare system.”
Odqvist et al. (Fri,) studied this question.