Background In patients with ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI), elevated cardiac troponin T (cTnT) on admission is associated with poorer outcomes despite early reperfusion. Presentation delay is thought to be the most important factor for the elevation of cTnT on admission. We evaluated presentation delay and other potential predictors of elevated cTnT on admission in patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) for STEMI.Methods CTnT was measured upon arrival in the PCI centre in 444 patients with acute STEMI. An elevated cTnT was defined as >0.05 mu g/L.Results The mean age was 61.7 years and patients were admitted at a median of 155 min after symptom onset. Almost 50% had an elevated cTnT on admission. Patients with a positive cTnT on admission were less likely to have successful primary PCI (87 versus 93%, P = 0.048) and had significantly higher rates of one-year mortality (4.9 versus 1.3%, P = 0.031). There was a significant association between presentation delay and the prevalence of elevated admission cTnT, but even patients with early presentation (Conclusion In patients with STEMI, the prevalence of elevated cTnT on admission is high, even in patients with early presentation. Independent predictors of elevated cTnT on admission are presentation delay, increasing age and anterior MI location.</p
