Preoperative cardiac troponin level is associated with all-cause mortality of liver transplantation recipients

This study was aimed to evaluate the association between preoperative high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI) level and mortality in patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT). From January 2011 to May 2016, preoperative hs-cTnI level was measured in consecutive 487 patients scheduled for LT. Patients with elevated preoperative hs-cTnI were compared with those who had normal level. The primary outcome was all-cause death in follow-up period of 30 days to 1 year after operation. Of the 487 patients, 58 (11.9%) had elevated preoperative hs-cTnI and 429 (88.1%) had normal preoperative hs-cTnI. In multivariate analysis, the rate of 1-year mortality and 30-day mortality were higher in elevated preoperative hs-cTnI group (hazard ratio [HR], 3.69; confidence interval [CI] 95%, 1.83-7.42; p < 0.001, HR, 6.61; CI, 1.91-22.82; p = 0.003, respectively). After adjustment with inverse probability weighting (IPW), the incidence of 1-year mortality and 30-day mortality were higher in elevated group (HR, 4.66; CI, 3.56-6.1; p < 0.001, HR, 10.31; CI, 6.39-16.66; p < 0.001, respectively). In conclusion, this study showed that in patients who underwent LT, elevation of preoperative hs-cTnI level was associated with 1-year mortality and 30-day mortality.