Cardiac troponin I is associated with ICU admission in pediatric patients with RSV

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is associated with morbidity and mortality in pediatric patients, but limited tools exist for prognostication of outcomes that may facilitate more rapid treatment. We assessed the utility of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) to prognosticate intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay (LOS) and bronchiolitis in pediatric patients. Methods: Remnant EDTA plasma from 114 patients 6 months-18 years positive for RSV were enrolled. Forty-five patients with other respiratory infections were included as controls. The electronic medical record was assessed for demographic information. High sensitivity cTnI was assessed on an Abbott ARCHITECT i2000 within 24 h of collection. Proportions were compared using Fisher's exact test and multivariable logistic regression performed. Results: Of patients admitted to ICU with RSV, 56.9 % had cTnI ≥ the limit of detection (LOD) compared to 27.0 % of patients not admitted to the ICU. Receiver operator characteristic analysis revealed an area of 0.62 (0.53–0.72) for predicting ICU admission. At the limit of quantitation, cTnI had a sensitivity of 25.8 %, a specificity of 88.9 %, and a positive likelihood ratio of 2.32 for ICU admission. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that log2 increases in cTnI (doubling) was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.34 (95 % CI: 1.03–1.78) for ICU admission. cTnI > the LOD was associated with an OR of 2.37 (1.03–5.57) for ICU admission and bronchiolitis (2.78, 1.09–7.83). Conclusions: Elevated cTnI above the LOD was associated with ICU admission and bronchiolitis in pediatric patients presenting with RSV. Further studies are needed to verify this finding.