Cardiac troponin T in pregnant women having intravenous tocolytic therapy

We studied drug-induced cardiotoxic effects in 22 pregnant women having toc olysis with intravenous fenoterol and verapamil. Because CK-MB is released from the uterus and placenta, we used the determination of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) as it is one of the most sensitive and specific indicators of myo cardial necrosis. Cardiac troponin T levels were within physiological range (0.08 +/- 0.01 mu g/l) in all healthy pregnant women tested between 32 and 36 weeks of gestation (control group). In the pregnant women having tocoly sis cTnT levels started to increase slightly during the first day of treatm ent (0.10 +/- 0.03 mu g/l) and were significantly higher (p<0.05) during th e third day (0.35 +/-0.14 mu g/l) of tocolytic therapy. The cTnT levels in cord blood (0.13 +/- 0.03 mu g/l) did not correspond with maternal cTnT con centrations.