Troponin I Levels in Neonatal Hypoxic–Ischemic Encephalopathy Are Related to Cardiopulmonary Comorbidity and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes

• Main Authors: Inn-Chi Lee, Chin-Sheng Yu, Swee-Hee Wong, Ko-Huang Lue
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
• Series: Journal of Clinical Medicine
• Subjects: newborn; HIE; biomarker; troponin I
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0383/10/17/4010

Troponin I is a biomarker for cardiac injury in children. The role of troponin I in neonatal Hypoxic–Ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) may have valuable clinical implications. Troponin I levels were measured within 6 h of birth to determine their relationship to HIE stage, short-term cardiac functional outcomes, and neurodevelopmental outcomes at 1 year. Seventy-three patients were divided into two groups: mild HIE and moderate to severe HIE. Troponin I levels within 6 h of birth were obtained in 61 patients, and were significantly higher in patients with moderate to severe HIE than in patients with mild HIE (Mann–Whitney U test, U = 146, <i>p =</i> 0.001). A troponin I cut-off level of ≥60 pg/mL predicted moderate to severe HIE with a specificity of 81.1% and a negative prediction rate of 76.9%. A troponin I cut-off level of ≥180 pg/mL was significantly (χ² (1, <i>n</i> = 61) = 33.1, <i>p</i> = 0.001, odds ratio 96.8) related with hypotension during first admission and significantly (χ² (1, <i>n</i> = 61) = 5.3, <i>p</i> = 0.021, odds ratio 4.53) related with abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes at 1 year. Early troponin I level may be a useful biomarker for predicting moderate to severe HIE, and initialization of hypothermia therapy.