Table 1.
Background characteristics of study population, according to elevated troponin result
| All (n = 128)a | cTnI positive (n = 35)a | cTnI negative (n = 93)a | p-value | |
| Age (years) | 53.9 ± 19 | 58.7 ± 18.6 | 52.1 ± 19 | 0.08 |
| Older than 65 years | 49 (38) | 15 (43) | 34 (37) | 0.51 |
| Male | 68 (53.1) | 19 (54.3) | 49 (52.7) | 0.87 |
| APACHE II | 15.3 ± 8.9 | 22.6 ± 10 | 12.7 ± 6.8 | <0.001b |
| Cause of admission | ||||
| Sepsis | 46 (35.9) | 19 (54.3) | 27 (29) | 0.008 |
| Respiratory failure | 35 (27.3) | 6 (17.1) | 29 (31.2) | 0.112 |
| Poisoning/drug overdose | 10 (7.8) | 3 (8.6) | 7 (7.5) | 0.665 |
| GI hemorrhage | 6 (4.7) | 2 (5.7) | 4 (4.3) | 0.844 |
| Miscellaneous | 31 (24.2) | 5 (14.3) | 26 (28) | 0.108 |
| Parameters upon admission | ||||
| Maximal temperature | 37.9 ± 1.1 | 38.2 ± 1.3 | 37.8 ± 1 | 0.03b |
| Minimal mean arterial pressure | 70.6 ± 21.7 | 63.2 ± 15.4 | 73.2 ± 23 | 0.02 |
| White blood cell count (×1000) | 14.9 ± 8.5 | 15.6 ± 7.8 | 14.5 ± 8.8 | 0.54 |
| Creatinine (μmol/l) | 142 ± 133 | 177 ± 106 | 124 ± 142 | <0.001b |
| Use of pressors | 48 (37.5) | 17 (48.6) | 31 (33.3) | 0.11 |
| 28-day mortality | 24 (18.8) | 15 (42.9) | 9 (9.7) | <0.001 |
| Length of stay (ICU) | 3.3 ± 28.5 | 6.4 ± 6.6 | 2.2 ± 33.1 | 0.07b |
| Days on mechanical ventilation | 3.7 ± 5.4 | 3.2 ± 5.1 | 5.4 ± 6.0 | 0.004b |
aNumbers are n, percentages (in parentheses) or mean ± SD, as appropriate. bMan-Whitney test was applied due to abnormality of the data distribution. APACHE, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation; ICU, intensive care unit. GI, Gastrointestinal hemorrhage