Cardiac Biomarkers and Right Ventricular Dysfunction Are Associated Independently With 1-Year Mortality in Patients With COVID-19 Receiving Mechanical Ventilation

Background

The cardiac biomarkers N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and troponin frequently are raised in patients with acute COVID-19. As a secondary analysis of the Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Ventilated Patients With COVID-19 study, we sought to determine the association between raised cardiac biomarkers and 1-year mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). As an exploratory investigation, we combined point-of-care echocardiography and cardiac biomarker analyses to determine whether the biomarker signal represented a global or regional cardiac injury.

Study Question

Are abnormal cardiac biomarker levels associated with 1-year mortality in patients with COVID-19 requiring IMV?

Study Design and Methods

In this prospective cardiac biomarker and echocardiography study in patients with COVID-19 across 10 ICUs in the west of Scotland, patients underwent contemporaneous cardiac biomarker testing with point-of-care echocardiography between days 2 and 14 after intubation. Survival analyses was performed using univariable log-rank and multivariable Cox regression.

Results

One hundred twenty-one patients were recruited between September 2, 2020, and March 22, 2021. At 1 year, 57.6% of patients (68 of 118) had died. Patients with abnormal NT-proBNP levels and patients with abnormal troponin levels showed a 1-year mortality incidence of 71.4% (50 of 70) and 80.4% (45 of 56), respectively. Both abnormal NT-proBNP and abnormal troponin levels were associated with 1-year mortality (P < .001 for both). Abnormal troponin level was associated with subjective right ventricular dysfunction (RVD; P = .003), and no association with subjective left ventricular dysfunction was found (P = .342). On multivariable analysis, abnormal NT-proBNP level, abnormal troponin level, and subjective RVD were associated independently with 1-year mortality (hazard ratios, 2.82 [95% CI, 1.19-6.67], 2.84 [95% CI, 1.44-5.62], and 2.09 [95% CI, 1.07-4.07], respectively).

Interpretation

Abnormal NT-proBNP level, abnormal troponin level, and subjective RVD are associated independently with 1-year mortality in patients with COVID-19 receiving IMV. Cardiac biomarker testing and point-of-care echocardiography are available readily during ICU admission and may identify a group of patients who are at very high risk of poor outcomes.

Trial Registry

ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT04764032; URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov