NT-proBNP incorporated in prediction rule of major peri-operative adverse cardiac event in non-cardiac surgery

Abstract

BackgroundPatients undergoing non-cardiac surgery are at risk for peri-operative major cardiac events (PMCEs). The most common risk assessment tool is Revised Cardiac Risk Index (RCRI). N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) measured peri-operatively has prognostic information but the implication is uncertain. This study aimed to determine the accuracy of combining NT-proBNP and RCRI in predicting the PMCE in major non-cardiac surgery. MethodsWe performed a prospective cohort study to include non-cardiac surgical patients with moderate or high risk. PMCE included myocardial infarction, pulmonary edema, severe cardiac arrhythmias, and cardiac death occurring within 30 days post-operatively. Logistic regression models and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to determine the discriminative ability of NT-proBNP alone or incorporation with RCRI or its components in predicting PMCE. ResultsA total of 366 patients was included in the study with 48 PMCEs. When predicting PMCE, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) (95%-CI) of NT-proBNP alone and NT-proBNP incorporated with RCRI were 0.875 (0.819–0.932) and 0.882 (0.827–0.937), respectively. When incorporating NT-proBNP with the RCRI's components, the best four chosen models had the AUCs between 0.879 and 0.891. All these AUCs were not significantly different with the AUC of NT-proBNP alone. ConclusionsHigher preoperative NT-proBNP level leads to the increased risk of PMCE in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery. Compared to NT-proBNP alone, the combination of NT-proBNP with the RCRI and other factors does not improve the accuracy in predicting PMCE. Future large studies are required to build a more accurate risk score.