• Till Keller, Christoph Wanner, Vera Krane, Daniel Kraus, Bernd Genser, Hubert Scharnagl, Winfried März, and Christiane Drechsler.
• Department of Cardiology, Kerckhoff Heart and Thorax Center, Bad Nauheim, Germany; German Centre for Cardiovascular Research, RhineMain, Bad Nauheim, Germany. Electronic address: keller@chestpain.de.
• Am. J. Kidney Dis. 2018 Jun 1; 71 (6): 822-830.

BackgroundMortality is high among patients undergoing hemodialysis for whom cardiac troponin concentration is a strong predictor of outcome. Modern troponin assays allow measurement of very low concentrations.Study DesignUsing data from a randomized controlled trial, a cohort analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of very low cardiac troponin T (TnT) concentrations.Setting & Participants1,255 patients with end-stage renal disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus undergoing maintenance hemodialysis from the German Diabetes and Dialysis Study (4D) who had a median follow-up of 4 years.Index Test, Reference Test, And OutcomeCardiac TnT was measured using a high-sensitivity assay (hs-TnT) and a conventional assay (conventional TnT) in a subpopulation (n=1,034) with valid measurements for both assays. Outcome measures were all-cause mortality and a composite cardiovascular end point including cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or stroke.ResultsAmong the 1,034 study participants, 505 died and 377 had a cardiovascular event. Both hs-TnT and conventional TnT concentrations were associated with mortality and cardiovascular events in models adjusted for cardiovascular risk factors and dialysis-associated variables. 455 (44%) patients with very low TnT concentrations (hs-TNT < 50ng/L) would have been classified as normal by the conventional TnT assay. Among these patients, hs-TnT concentrations were also associated with mortality.LimitationsThe study of patients with type 2 diabetes may limit generalizability. These findings have not been externally validated.ConclusionsIn patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus receiving hemodialysis, cardiac TnT is associated with long-term mortality and cardiovascular outcomes. Concentrations of TnT not measurable with acceptable precision using a conventional TnT assay were associated with a poor prognosis when measured using a high-sensitivity assay.Copyright © 2017 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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