The Utility of Troponin Testing in Children

Investigators from Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), Boston, MA, conducted a retrospective study to assess the clinical utility of elevated troponin levels in identifying cardiac disease in children. For the study, they identified patients <21 years old who were seen at BCH between 2005 and 2018 and had at least one troponin level obtained. Children with history of a cardiac diagnosis were excluded. Study participants were categorized as having cardiac or noncardiac presentations based on ICD-9 or ICD-10 codes. Cardiac presentations included chest pain, tachycardia or other arrhythmia, syncope, cardiomegaly, or ventricular dysfunction. Noncardiac presentations were classified as respiratory, gastrointestinal, febrile, or other. An initial troponin level ≥0.1 ng/mL was considered elevated. The primary study outcome was a cardiac or …