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Natriuretic peptides are often elevated in congenital heart disease (CHD); however, the clinical impact on mortality is unclear. The aim of our study was to evaluate the prognostic value of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in the prediction of all-cause mortality in adults with different CHD. In this prospective longitudinal mortality study, we evaluated NT-proBNP in 1,242 blood samples from 646 outpatient adults with stable CHD (mean age 35 ± 12 years; 345 women). Patients were followed up for 6 ± 3 (1 to 10) years. The mortality rate was 5% (35 patients, mean age 40 ± 14 years, 17 women). Median NT-proBNP (pg/ml) was 220 in the whole cohort, 203 in survivors, and 1,548 in deceased patients. The best discrimination value for mortality prediction was 630 pg/ml with 74% sensitivity and 84% specificity. During the follow-up, the survival rate was 65% for those with median NT-proBNP ≥630 pg/ml and 94% for NT-proBNP <630 pg/ml; p <0.0001. There was only 1% mortality among 388 patients with at least 1 NT-proBNP value ≤220 pg/ml compared with 41% mortality among 54 patients with at least 1 NT-proBNP value >1,548 pg/ml. Even the first (baseline) measurements of NT-proBNP were strongly associated with a high risk of death (log10 NT-proBNP had hazard ratio 7, p <0.0001). In conclusion, NT-proBNP assessment is a useful and simple tool for the prediction of mortality in long-term follow-up of adults with CHD.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/j.amjcard.2015.07.070

Type

Journal article

Journal

Am J Cardiol

Publication Date

01/11/2015

Volume

116

Pages

1425 - 1430

Keywords

Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Biomarkers, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Heart Defects, Congenital, Humans, Kaplan-Meier Estimate, Male, Middle Aged, Natriuretic Peptide, Brain, Peptide Fragments, Predictive Value of Tests, Prognosis, Prospective Studies, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Sensitivity and Specificity