Postoperative levels of cardiac troponin versus CK-MB and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein for the prediction of 1-year cardiovascular outcome in patients undergoing vascular surgery

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated comparatively the predictive value of postoperative cardiac troponin I (cTnI), creatinine kinase (CK)-MB, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in 1-year cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing elective vascular surgery. METHODS: A total of 295 consecutive patients undergoing elective noncardiac vascular surgery were prospectively followed-up over a period of 12 months. The levels of cTnI, CK-MB, and hs-CRP were measured preoperatively and 24 h after operation. The primary endpoint was the composite of cardiovascular death, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and unstable angina. RESULTS: The primary endpoints occurred in 11 patients (3.8%). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that postoperative cTnI was a strong predictor of a cardiovascular event during 1-year follow-up (area under the curve, 0.852; P<0.001). Areas under the curve for hs-CRP and for CK-MB were 0.734 (P=0.008) and 0.494 (P=0.947). A threshold cTnI value of 0.4 ng/ml was highly associated with the occurrence of a cardiovascular event, with a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 81%. Furthermore, cTnI levels provided a significantly better prediction than CK-MB levels (P=0.009) and tended to be superior to hs-CRP (P=0.2). CONCLUSION: Postoperative cTnI levels seem to be superior to CK-MB and hs-CRP levels for the prediction of 1-year cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in patients undergoing elective vascular surgery.