False positive cardiac troponin I in pregnant woman. A case report Case report
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Abstract
A 30-year-old woman in the 24th week of pregnancy was admitted to the hospital because of palpitations. There was no symptoms or signs for eclampsia. She was diagnosed with supraventricular narrow QRS-complex tachycardia. After antiarrhythmic treatment, resolution of symptoms and sinus rhythm restoration were achieved, but serum cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration was repeatedly elevated, with the values range 1.5–1.8 ng/ml (the reference range: 0.000–0.056 ng/ml), normal values of creatine kinase and heart type creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), as well as nondiagnostic result of CK-MB activity. After exclusion of states that might have been responsible for myocardial injury, the elevation of cTnI was regarded as false positive and probably associated with the presence of heterophile antibodies, interfering with immunoassays. This case focuses attention on the importance of elevated cTnI interpretation, particularly during pregnancy, because of the risk of side effects of the unnecessary diagnostic, especially invasive procedures, to the mother and the fetus.
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