Affiliations: Department of Neonatology, Hadassah and Hebrew
University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel | Pediatric Cardiology Unit, Hadassah and Hebrew
University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel | Central Clinical Laboratory, Hadassah and Hebrew
University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel | Monique and Jacques Roboh Department of Genetic
Research, and Department of Genetics and Metabolic Diseases, Hadassah and
Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. Yotam Almagor, Department of
Neonatology, Hadassah and Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel. Tel.:
+972 50 4048825; Fax: +972 2 6777942; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Troponin-T (TnT) is a biomarker for cardiac insult, but its
significance as a cardiac biomarker in neonates is unclear. A method for
measuring TnT in dried blood spots (DBS), which are used worldwide for neonatal
screening, will enable access to a very large potential database. We tested
concentrations of TnT in dried blood and dried plasma and compared results to
the TnT concentrations in the original fresh blood. Troponin results in dried
blood were significantly changed and did not allow sufficient test resolution.
In contrast, troponin concentrations in dried plasma correlated well to those
of all original samples tested. Our preliminary results suggest that TnT can
accurately be measured in dried plasma, but TnT concentrations in dried blood
are detectable only if troponin values are significantly elevated.
