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How to Interpret Positive Troponin Tests in CKD
Q) Recently, when I have sent my patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to the emergency department (ED) for complaints of chest pain or shortness of breath, their troponin levels are high. I know CKD increases risk for cardiovascular disease, but I find it hard to believe that every CKD patient is having an MI. What gives?
Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death in patients with CKD, accounting for 45% to 50% of all deaths. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in this patient population is vital to assure prompt identification and treatment.1,2
Cardiac troponins are the gold standard for detecting myocardial injury in patients presenting to the ED with suggestive symptoms.1 But the chronic baseline elevation in serum troponin levels among patients with CKD often results in a false-positive reading, making the detection of AMI difficult.1
With the recent introduction of high-sensitivity troponin assays, as many as 97% of patients on hemodialysis exhibit elevated troponin levels; this is also true for patients with CKD, on a sliding scale (lower kidney function = higher baseline troponins).2 The use of high-sensitivity testing has increased substantially in the past 15 years, and it is expected to become the benchmark for troponin evaluation. While older troponin tests had a false-positive rate of 30% to 85% in patients with stage 5 CKD, the newer troponin tests display elevated troponins in almost 100% of these patients.1,2
Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the best way to interpret positive troponin tests in patients with CKD to ensure an accurate diagnosis of AMI.2 One study determined that a 20% increase in troponin levels was a more accurate determinant of AMI in patients with CKD than one isolated positive level.3 Another study demonstrated that serial troponin measurements conducted over time yielded higher diagnostic accuracy than one measurement above the 99th percentile.4
The American College of Cardiology Foundation task force found that monitoring changes in troponin concentration over time (3-6 h) is more accurate than a single elevated troponin when diagnosing AMI in symptomatic patients.3 Correlation between elevated troponin levels and clinical suspicion proved helpful in determining the significance of troponin results and the probability of AMI in patients with CKD.2
The significance and interpretation of elevated troponin levels in patients with CKD remains an important topic for further study, as cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of mortality in patients with kidney dysfunction.1,2 More definitive studies need to be conducted on patients with CKD as high-sensitivity troponin assay testing becomes standard for diagnosing AMI.
So, the reason you see more positive troponin results in your CKD population is due to both the increased accuracy of the newer tests and the fact that CKD often causes a false-positive result. Monitoring your patients with serial troponins for at least three hours is essential to confirm or rule out an AMI. —MS-G
Marlene Shaw-Gallagher, MS, PA-C
University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan
Division of Nephrology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
1. Robitaille R, Lafrance JP, Leblanc M. Altered laboratory findings associated with end-stage renal disease. Semin Dial. 2006;19(5):373.
2. Howard CE, McCullough PA. Decoding acute myocardial infarction among patients on dialysis. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017;28(5):1337-1339.
3. Newby LK, Jesse RL, Babb JD, et al. ACCF 2012 expert consensus document on practical clinical considerations in the interpretation of troponin elevations: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation task force on Clinical Expert Consensus Documents. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012; 60(23):2427-2463.
4. Mahajan VS, Petr Jarolim P. How to interpret elevated cardiac troponin levels. Circulation. 2011;124:2350-2354.
Clinician Reviews in partnership with
Renal Consult is edited by Jane S. Davis, CRNP, DNP, a member of the Clinician Reviews editorial board, who is a nurse practitioner in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is the communications chairperson for the National KidneyFoundation's Council of Advanced Practitioners (NKF-CAP); and Kim Zuber, PA-C, MSPS, DFAAPA, a semi-retired PA who works with the American Academy of Nephrology PAs and is a past chair of the NKF-CAP. This month's responses were authored by Cynthia A. Smith, DNP, CNN-NP, FNP-BC, APRN, who practices at Renal Consultants, PLLC, in South Charleston, West Virginia, and Marlene Shaw-Gallagher, MS, PA-C, who is an Assistant Professor at University of Detroit Mercy in Michigan and practices in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Clinician Reviews in partnership with
Renal Consult is edited by Jane S. Davis, CRNP, DNP, a member of the Clinician Reviews editorial board, who is a nurse practitioner in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is the communications chairperson for the National KidneyFoundation's Council of Advanced Practitioners (NKF-CAP); and Kim Zuber, PA-C, MSPS, DFAAPA, a semi-retired PA who works with the American Academy of Nephrology PAs and is a past chair of the NKF-CAP. This month's responses were authored by Cynthia A. Smith, DNP, CNN-NP, FNP-BC, APRN, who practices at Renal Consultants, PLLC, in South Charleston, West Virginia, and Marlene Shaw-Gallagher, MS, PA-C, who is an Assistant Professor at University of Detroit Mercy in Michigan and practices in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Clinician Reviews in partnership with
Renal Consult is edited by Jane S. Davis, CRNP, DNP, a member of the Clinician Reviews editorial board, who is a nurse practitioner in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is the communications chairperson for the National KidneyFoundation's Council of Advanced Practitioners (NKF-CAP); and Kim Zuber, PA-C, MSPS, DFAAPA, a semi-retired PA who works with the American Academy of Nephrology PAs and is a past chair of the NKF-CAP. This month's responses were authored by Cynthia A. Smith, DNP, CNN-NP, FNP-BC, APRN, who practices at Renal Consultants, PLLC, in South Charleston, West Virginia, and Marlene Shaw-Gallagher, MS, PA-C, who is an Assistant Professor at University of Detroit Mercy in Michigan and practices in the Division of Nephrology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
Q) Recently, when I have sent my patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to the emergency department (ED) for complaints of chest pain or shortness of breath, their troponin levels are high. I know CKD increases risk for cardiovascular disease, but I find it hard to believe that every CKD patient is having an MI. What gives?
Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death in patients with CKD, accounting for 45% to 50% of all deaths. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in this patient population is vital to assure prompt identification and treatment.1,2
Cardiac troponins are the gold standard for detecting myocardial injury in patients presenting to the ED with suggestive symptoms.1 But the chronic baseline elevation in serum troponin levels among patients with CKD often results in a false-positive reading, making the detection of AMI difficult.1
With the recent introduction of high-sensitivity troponin assays, as many as 97% of patients on hemodialysis exhibit elevated troponin levels; this is also true for patients with CKD, on a sliding scale (lower kidney function = higher baseline troponins).2 The use of high-sensitivity testing has increased substantially in the past 15 years, and it is expected to become the benchmark for troponin evaluation. While older troponin tests had a false-positive rate of 30% to 85% in patients with stage 5 CKD, the newer troponin tests display elevated troponins in almost 100% of these patients.1,2
Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the best way to interpret positive troponin tests in patients with CKD to ensure an accurate diagnosis of AMI.2 One study determined that a 20% increase in troponin levels was a more accurate determinant of AMI in patients with CKD than one isolated positive level.3 Another study demonstrated that serial troponin measurements conducted over time yielded higher diagnostic accuracy than one measurement above the 99th percentile.4
The American College of Cardiology Foundation task force found that monitoring changes in troponin concentration over time (3-6 h) is more accurate than a single elevated troponin when diagnosing AMI in symptomatic patients.3 Correlation between elevated troponin levels and clinical suspicion proved helpful in determining the significance of troponin results and the probability of AMI in patients with CKD.2
The significance and interpretation of elevated troponin levels in patients with CKD remains an important topic for further study, as cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of mortality in patients with kidney dysfunction.1,2 More definitive studies need to be conducted on patients with CKD as high-sensitivity troponin assay testing becomes standard for diagnosing AMI.
So, the reason you see more positive troponin results in your CKD population is due to both the increased accuracy of the newer tests and the fact that CKD often causes a false-positive result. Monitoring your patients with serial troponins for at least three hours is essential to confirm or rule out an AMI. —MS-G
Marlene Shaw-Gallagher, MS, PA-C
University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan
Division of Nephrology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Q) Recently, when I have sent my patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) to the emergency department (ED) for complaints of chest pain or shortness of breath, their troponin levels are high. I know CKD increases risk for cardiovascular disease, but I find it hard to believe that every CKD patient is having an MI. What gives?
Cardiovascular disease remains the most common cause of death in patients with CKD, accounting for 45% to 50% of all deaths. Therefore, accurate diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in this patient population is vital to assure prompt identification and treatment.1,2
Cardiac troponins are the gold standard for detecting myocardial injury in patients presenting to the ED with suggestive symptoms.1 But the chronic baseline elevation in serum troponin levels among patients with CKD often results in a false-positive reading, making the detection of AMI difficult.1
With the recent introduction of high-sensitivity troponin assays, as many as 97% of patients on hemodialysis exhibit elevated troponin levels; this is also true for patients with CKD, on a sliding scale (lower kidney function = higher baseline troponins).2 The use of high-sensitivity testing has increased substantially in the past 15 years, and it is expected to become the benchmark for troponin evaluation. While older troponin tests had a false-positive rate of 30% to 85% in patients with stage 5 CKD, the newer troponin tests display elevated troponins in almost 100% of these patients.1,2
Numerous studies have been conducted to determine the best way to interpret positive troponin tests in patients with CKD to ensure an accurate diagnosis of AMI.2 One study determined that a 20% increase in troponin levels was a more accurate determinant of AMI in patients with CKD than one isolated positive level.3 Another study demonstrated that serial troponin measurements conducted over time yielded higher diagnostic accuracy than one measurement above the 99th percentile.4
The American College of Cardiology Foundation task force found that monitoring changes in troponin concentration over time (3-6 h) is more accurate than a single elevated troponin when diagnosing AMI in symptomatic patients.3 Correlation between elevated troponin levels and clinical suspicion proved helpful in determining the significance of troponin results and the probability of AMI in patients with CKD.2
The significance and interpretation of elevated troponin levels in patients with CKD remains an important topic for further study, as cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading cause of mortality in patients with kidney dysfunction.1,2 More definitive studies need to be conducted on patients with CKD as high-sensitivity troponin assay testing becomes standard for diagnosing AMI.
So, the reason you see more positive troponin results in your CKD population is due to both the increased accuracy of the newer tests and the fact that CKD often causes a false-positive result. Monitoring your patients with serial troponins for at least three hours is essential to confirm or rule out an AMI. —MS-G
Marlene Shaw-Gallagher, MS, PA-C
University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan
Division of Nephrology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
1. Robitaille R, Lafrance JP, Leblanc M. Altered laboratory findings associated with end-stage renal disease. Semin Dial. 2006;19(5):373.
2. Howard CE, McCullough PA. Decoding acute myocardial infarction among patients on dialysis. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017;28(5):1337-1339.
3. Newby LK, Jesse RL, Babb JD, et al. ACCF 2012 expert consensus document on practical clinical considerations in the interpretation of troponin elevations: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation task force on Clinical Expert Consensus Documents. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012; 60(23):2427-2463.
4. Mahajan VS, Petr Jarolim P. How to interpret elevated cardiac troponin levels. Circulation. 2011;124:2350-2354.
1. Robitaille R, Lafrance JP, Leblanc M. Altered laboratory findings associated with end-stage renal disease. Semin Dial. 2006;19(5):373.
2. Howard CE, McCullough PA. Decoding acute myocardial infarction among patients on dialysis. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017;28(5):1337-1339.
3. Newby LK, Jesse RL, Babb JD, et al. ACCF 2012 expert consensus document on practical clinical considerations in the interpretation of troponin elevations: a report of the American College of Cardiology Foundation task force on Clinical Expert Consensus Documents. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2012; 60(23):2427-2463.
4. Mahajan VS, Petr Jarolim P. How to interpret elevated cardiac troponin levels. Circulation. 2011;124:2350-2354.
