Troponin I New Biomarker in Traumatic Brain Injury

Mortality in traumatic brain injury (TBI) is thought to be pathology in the heart-brain axis but its effect on the prognosis of traumatic brain injury remains unclear. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between cardiac troponin I (cTnI) level and prognosis in TBI patients. Between January 2017 and May 2021, 480 patients diagnosed with TBI, who applied to the emergency department, were retrospectively included in this multicentric study. The databases of the hospitals were examined comprehensively and the demographic, clinical, laboratory, radiological, and therapeutic data and results of the patients were obtained. The severity of trauma and clinical status was evaluated with AIS, Injury Severity Score (ISS), ASA physical status, and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). The severity of the trauma was evaluated with the ISS. The modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at discharge were used to evaluate in-hospital clinical outcomes. cTnI levels were classified into three categories: normal (< 0.05 ng/ml), mildly elevated (0.05–0.99 ng/ml), and severely elevated (≥ 1 ng/ml). The mean age of the patients was 41.7 and 75.4% of them were men. It was observed that mortality among patients over 65 years (13.9%) increased. High cTnI was detected in 284 (59.1%) patients. Although it was not statistically significant regarding the elevation of cTnI in patients under 65 years of age ( P = 0.62), the difference was significant for cTnI in patients over 65 years of age ( P < 0.001). The relationship between cTnI elevation was found to be statistically significant ( P < 0.001) as the severity of the trauma increased and when severe additional traumas (thoracic, abdominal, or pelvic) occurred. A high cTnI level is associated with poor prognosis in TBI patients. cTnI measurement is a useful tool for early risk stratification and accelerated care; however, further prospective studies are needed.