Angiographically objectified presence of coronary artery disease in patients with exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and raised troponin I – The BEETHOVEN Trial

Background: Coronary heart disease is a major cause of mortality in chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). During exacerbation of COPD, significant elevation of troponin has repeatedly been reported; however, a clear causative attribution is still lacking. Aims: We aimed at correlating raised troponin I in patients with exacerbated COPD with coronary angiographic results. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 78 patients (73.1 ± 9.1yrs, 57.7% male), hospitalized for exacerbation of COPD in the University Hospital of Bonn and simultaneously offering a raise in troponin I ≥0.05 ng/ml at admission. Coronary angiogra…