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To assess the clinical significance of cardiac troponin elevation after coronary artery bypass grafting, investigators studied data on 847 consecutive patients who underwent isolated CABG at a single U.S. institution. The median peak troponin T (TnT) level obtained within 24 hours after surgery was 1.08 ng/mL. TnT levels were ≥0.15 ng/mL in 96.6% of patients, and 36.7% had a TnT of ≥1.60 ng/mL. However, new Q waves or left bundle-branch block occurred in only 17 patients (2%) on the day after surgery.
Postoperative TnT levels correlated directly and significantly with duration of intensive care unit stay, hours of postoperative mechanical ventilation, and duration of hospital stay. The median peak TnT level during the first 24 hours was sign…