ORIGINAL ARTICLES Accuracy of Whole Blood Cardiac Troponin I in the Diagnosis of Childhood Heart Failure at the University College Hospital, Ibadan

West Afr J Med . 2023 Mar 31;40(3):254-261

Abstract

Abstract  in English, French

Objective: To determine the accuracy of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a marker of myocardial cell injury or necrosis, in correctly identifying heart failure in children.

Patients, materials, and methods: This was a crosssectional study in which 45 children aged 12 years or below admitted into the paediatric wards of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, who, on evaluation with the Ibadan Childhood Heart Failure Index (ICHFI) had a score of ≥ 3, were consecutively recruited. Forty-five age- and sex-matched apparently healthy children with ICHFI score of <3 were similarly evaluated as controls. Demographic, clinical data and cTnI values were documented. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS version 23.

Results: There was a strong positive correlation (0.592) between the whole blood cTnI values and ICHFI scores (rs = 0.592, P = 0.000). At a cut-off value of 0.07ng/ml, the whole blood cTnI had a sensitivity of 26.7%, specificity of 97.8%, a positive predictive value of 92.8% and a negative predictive value of 57.1%. The receiver operating characteristic curve plotted had an AUC of 0.800 at the 95% CI, 0.704 - 0.896; P < 0.001.

Conclusion: Whole blood cTnI level is elevated in children in heart failure and may predict severity of the condition. Whole blood cTnI was found to be an accurate tool for the exclusion of heart failure in children and is therefore recommended for use in children with suspected heart failure for its rapid diagnosis.

Keywords: Cardiac Troponin I; Childhood heart failure; Ibadan.

A Hamza ¹, S I Omokhodion ¹