Key result
Interpretation of cardiac biomarkers like NT-proBNP and troponin in children requires understanding age- and gender-specific reference ranges and the impact of underlying congenital cardiac conditions.
Why the study?
Use of cardiac biomarkers in paediatric patients has been limited by age, gender, and congenital cardiac conditions, and healthy reference ranges cannot be applied across all paediatric patients.
How should cardiac biomarkers (NT-proBNP and troponin) be interpreted in pediatric patients?
How should cardiac biomarkers (NT-proBNP and troponin) be interpreted in pediatric patients?
This review provides educational guidance on the interpretation of cardiac biomarkers in children, highlighting the variability caused by age, gender, and congenital cardiac conditions.
Cardiac biomarkers are used as first-line diagnostic tools in suspected myocardial injury and heart failure in adult patients. Their use in paediatric patients has been limited by variability caused by age, gender and the presence of an underlying congenital cardiac condition. There are established reference ranges for both NT-proBNP and troponin in healthy children, but these cannot be applied to all paediatric patients because of limited large studies focusing on children with congenital heart disease and/or cardiomyopathy.This article will focus on the pathophysiology of myocardial injury and heart failure in children and the subsequent cardiac biomarker correlation. It will explain how to interpret the biomarker assay levels obtained for both troponin and NT-proBNP and highlights the importance of a clear clinical question prior to requesting a cardiac biomarker assay level.Clinical cases outline scenarios that may prompt consideration of biomarker analysis in children and aims to equip the reader with an understanding of how to interpret the results.
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McGinn et al. (2022) conducted a review in Myocardial injury and heart failure in children. Cardiac biomarkers (NT-proBNP and troponin) was evaluated. Interpretation of cardiac biomarkers like NT-proBNP and troponin in children requires understanding age- and gender-specific reference ranges and the impact of underlying congenital cardiac conditions.
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