Text Box: CARDIAC TROPININ (T) IN SERUM AS A MARKER FOR MYOCARDIAL INJURY IN NEWBORN
Omran S.H,Mohsen L.M,Abdel Hameed F.H, and abdel Latif D.A.K.Children Hospital Cairo, Egypt

Objective: In neonates, perinatal asphyxia and septicemia are leading
causes of myocardial damage. Cardiac tropininT (cTnT) ,the structural protein that binds tropinin complex to the tropomyosin molecular strand,has recently been proposed as a specificbiochemical marker for myocardial injury in neonates.
Methods: In this study serum cTnT was measured in 30 neonates with evidence of myocardial injury (by clinical, ECG and echocardiografic findings); 15 diagnosed as neonatal asphyxia and 15 neonates with septicemia.Serum cardiac troponin T  was also measured in 20 healthy normal neonates.
Results: Serum cTnT was significantly elevated in 86.7% of cases of asphyxia (in relation to controls; p= 0.000) with a mean level of 0.71267 ng/ml. As regards cases of septicemia 73.3% had elevated cTnT serum level (in comparison to control group; p=0.022) with a mean level of 0.3692ng/ml. Asphyxiated neonates had higher serum cTnT level than septic neonates (p=0.04)
Conclusion: Cardiac tropinin T is a senstive marker for myocardial injury in neonates.
2004