Background: Increased plasma cardiac troponin I (cTnI) values in heart donors are associated with donor myocardial dysfunction and increased risk of rejection in the recipients. We investigated the association between cTnI values and myocardial dysfunction in potential heart donors and the relationship between donors' cTnI values and recipients' early myocardial function and 1 year survival and risk of rejection.
Methods: cTnI was measured in 159 consecutive potential heart donors. Myocardial function was estimated by the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and segmental wall motion abnormalities (SWMA). Results are mean+/-SD (range) or median (interquartile range).
Results: cTnI values in potential donors were 2.1+/-5 ng/ml (0-40.4 ng/ml); cTnI values were significantly (P<0.001) higher: 4.2+/-5.9 ng/ml (0-30.6 ng/ml) for potential donors with LVEF <50% versus LVEF >50%: 1.7+/-4.7 ng/ml (0-40.4 ng/ml). cTnI values were significantly lower for donors without SWMA. cTnI values were significantly (P<0.001) lower for the 90 donors whose hearts were harvested: 1.1+/-2.3 ng/ml (0-15.6 ng/ml) versus the not harvested: 3.6+/-6.9 ng/ml (0-40.4 ng/ml). There were 87 recipients followed for 1 year. Donors' cTnI values were not associated with early alteration of LVEF, incidence of rejection or 1 year recipients' survival.
Conclusion: Increased cTnI values in potential heart donors are statistically associated with myocardial dysfunction and could be helpful for organ selection. In contrast, cTnI values in heart donors were not associated with graft dysfunction or recipient survival after transplantation.