NT-pro-BNP Identifies Patients with High Risk of Cardiac Events in the First Six Months after Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Abstract

Despite cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) patients (pts) with heart failure (HF) remain at high risk for major cardiac events. We aimed to determine markers of residual risk for major cardiac events on pts with HF after CRT. We studied 109 pts with ischemic (ICM) or idiopathic cardiomiopathy, III-IV NYHA class, on optimized medical therapy. CRP level and NT-pro-BNP was measured immediately before CRT. Values are reported in table. During 6 months follow-up we observed mayor cardiac events in 16 pts: 6 deaths for heart failure and 10 VT/VF-events. Pts with events showed significant higher values of NT-pro-BNP. NT-pro-BNP, on the contrary of CRP, identifies, during CRT, pts at high risk of cardiac events. This may have implications for future risk assessment of pts with potential benefit from CRT.