Clinical value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and Heart-type fatty acid-binding protein for early heart dysfunction assessment in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD

Objective To explore clinical value of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) in assessing the early heart dysfunction in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by comparing the levels of hs-cTnT and H-FABP before and after treatment. Methods Total 110 patients with clinician-diagnosed AECOPD in our hospital were prospectively studied from December,2015 to June,2016.Among them,80 eligible patients,including 35 patients with mild-to-moderate acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and 45 ones with severe-to-very severe AECOPD were enrolled,and 40 control subjects were recruited.The serum hs-cTnT and H-FABP levels were tested by electrochemiluminescence method and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,respectively.The pulmonary function,arterial blood gas,AST,LDH,CK,CKMB,cTnI and myoglobin were evaluated. Results There was a significantly higher levels of hs-cTnT and H-FABP in AECOPD patients compared with the control group (P<0.01).The levels of hs-cTnT and H-FABP were significantly decreased in severe-to-very severe AECOPD group after the treatment (P<0.01).There was no significant difference in AST,LDH,CK,CKMB,cTnI and myoglobin before and after treatment (P>0.05). Conclusion Compared with the traditional myocardial biomarkers,hs-cTnT and H-FABP are more sensitive to myocardial damage and could guide early clinical intervention in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD.