Background: It has recently been shown that cardiac-specific troponin I concentrations in first morning urine samples can be measured with commercially available tests. Due to their accumulation in the first morning urine, scientific papers indicate a potential predictive value for cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the concentration of cardiac troponin I in the first morning urine in patients with severe aortic stenosis and the healthy population. Patients and Methods: Blood and first morning urine samples were collected from 34 healthy individuals (17 female) at University Hospital Merkur and 25 patients with severe aortic stenosis (14 female) before surgical treatment at University Hospital Dubrava. Cardiac troponin I and T values were determined using high-sensitivity assays using commercially available Abbott and Roche tests. Results: Patients with severe aortic stenosis had significantly lower troponin I concentrations in the first morning urine samples (0.3 ng/L (0.1–0.6)) as compared to the healthy population (15.2 ng/L (8.4–19.9)) (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in troponin T concentrations between healthy individuals and patients with severe aortic stenosis. In parallel, both I and T plasma troponin concentrations were significantly higher in patients with severe aortic stenosis. Conclusions: In patients with severe aortic stenosis, cardiac troponin I values in the first morning urine are significantly lower than in healthy subjects.

Background: Hyperimmune response and cytokine release post-reperfusion might occur after orthotopic heart transplantation (HTx). Intraoperative hemoadsorption (HA) has been introduced to remove such elevated cytokines. We aimed to analyze the effect of intraoperative HA in patients undergoing orthotopic HTx. Methods: Between 2018 and 2022, 40 consecutive orthotopic HTx patients who underwent intraoperative hemoadsorption HA integrated into the cardiopulmonary bypass were compared to 41 historical controls. Primary outcome measures included postoperative hemodynamic stability and blood product requirements, while secondary outcomes were the incidence of acute kidney injury requiring dialysis (AKI-d) and 30-day mortality. Results: Postoperatively, the vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) did not significantly differ between the groups. However, the use duration for milrinone and dobutamine was shortened by one day compared to controls. The HA group had fewer red blood cell transfusions (765 vs. 1330 mL, p = 0.01) and lower fresh frozen plasma requirements (945 vs. 1200 mL, p = 0.04). Mechanical ventilation duration was reduced (22 vs. 28 h, p = 0.02). AKI-d rates were similar, and 30-day mortality favored non-significantly the HA group (5% vs. 14.6%, p = ns). No device-related adverse events were observed. Conclusion: These findings suggest that intraoperative HA might improve immediate postoperative outcomes; however, further validation in larger randomized controlled trials is warranted.