Cardiac troponin-I as a predictor of mortality in patients with first episode acute atrial fibrillation

Background Recent-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) is a frequent cause for presentation to the emergency department. Recent studies proposed that the addition of biomarker information might improve the prediction of clinical outcomes by enabling identification of patients at high risk. Aim We aimed to examine the role of cardiac troponin I as a predictor of clinical outcome in patients with first episode acute AF. Design Patients, 18 years or older, presenting to our hospital with a primary diagnosis of first episode acute AF were included in this retrospective study. Methods The association between elevated cTnI with mortality or the composite endpoint (mortality, stroke or heart failure) was examined in a univariate Cox regression model. Results Of the 274 study patients, 111 had elevated cTnI levels (41%). Increased cTnI was associated with older age, history of myocardial infarction, higher creatinine levels and higher heart rate (All P