Abstract
The relationship between the admission troponin T (TnT) level and the response to streptokinase (SK) was examined in 76 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Of 27 TnT positive patients, 10 (37%) showed a response to SK as suggested by a non-invasive criterion for reperfusion, while 24 (49%) were ‘responders’ among 49 TnT negative patients. There appeared to be a trend towards a better response to SK in the TnT negative group but the difference lacked statistical power due to the small sample size.
The mean time-interval between the onset of symptoms and thrombolytic treatment among TnT positive ‘non-responders’ was significantly (P <0.005) higher than the TnT negative ‘non-responders’ (5.23 ±3.42 h versus 2.38 ± 1.37 h). An 18 month follow up on 61 patients revealed a higher mortality (33%) among TnT positive patients than TnT negative patients (10%). Mortality among TnT positive ‘non-responders’ was significantly higher (P=0.0494) than mortality among TnT-negative ‘non-responders’ (43% versus 9%), indicating that TnT positive patients, non-responsive to SK were at a greater risk of cardiac death. The data suggest that the admission TnT level can be of value in risk stratification of patients with AMI.
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