Preliminary study on release of cardiac troponin I and creatine kinase-MB in sera of heart transplantation patients

AIM To investigate the release of cardiac tro ponin I (cTnI) and creatine kinase MB (CK MB) and their efficacy in diagnosing myocardial injury in heart transplantation patients. METHODS 200 venous blood samples from 6 heart allograft recipients were taken at different time points before and after operation. Their cTnI and CK MB concentrations were determined respectively. RESULTS cTnI and CK MB increased significantly in 1 patient before operation. cTnI and CK MB reached the peak on the first day in all patients post operation. cTnI declined to normal level on the 10~34 postoperative day, while CK MB declined to normal level on the 11~16 postoperative day. CONCLUSION The duration of cTnI and CK MB is similar in heart transplantation patients. The prognosis of patients whose cTnI and CK MB was normal before operation is better. The increased cTnI and CK MB are related to operation and graft rejection. cTnI is of larger diagnosis time window and higher sensitivity in detecting myocardial damage than CK MB.