Stroke occurrence in patients with STEMI: does BNP help to predict?

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. OnBehalf Portuguese Registry of Acute Coronary Syndromes (ProACS) Introduction Although brain natriuretic peptides (BNP) has been primarily identified in brain tissue, its clinical application is primarily related to cardiac disease, namely heart failure. The current information on this natriuretic peptide in cerebrovascular disease is limited, however some studies performed showed an acute elevation of BNP during the acute phase of ischemic stroke. Objective Evaluation of prognostic value of BNP in the occurrence of in-hospital ischemic stroke in patients admitted with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Material and methods Retrospective analysis of patients´ data admitted with STEMI at multicentric registry between October 2010 and January 2019. Patients were divided into two groups: group 1 – patients who suffered an ischemic stroke (0.8%) and group 2 – without stroke (99.2%). Demographic and clinical characteristics were compared. A logistic regression was performed to evaluate prognostic value of BNP in the occurrence of in-hospital stroke and cardiovascular events. Results Admitted 1650 patients with STEMI. There was no statistically significant difference between mean age in both groups (mean age 64 ± 13 years, p 0.122) and most patients were male (75.4%). A higher percentage of group 1 patients had a previous diagnosis of stroke/ transitory ischemic accident (28.6 vs 5.4%, p 0.006) but there was no significant differences regarding the percentages of previous arterial hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidaemia neither peripheral vascular disease. Mean values of BNP at admission were higher in group 1: 839 ± 1088 vs 333 ± 639 pg/ml (p 0.04). All patients were submitted to coronary angiography, without evidence of significant differences regarding severity of coronary disease. In group 1 patients mean left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) during hospitalization was lower: 43 ± 11 vs 53 ± 13 %, p 0.005. Logistic regression identified as prognostic factors of in-hospital ischemic stroke: previous stroke/ transitory ischemic accident (p 0.007), dementia (p 0.005) or thoracic pain at STEMI presentation (p 0.005). Although patients with higher levels of BNP had suffered more stroke (0.5% in group with BNP < 100pg/ml; 0.6% in group with 100 ≤ BNP < 400 pg/ml; and 2.0% in group with BNP ≥ 400 pg/ml), BNP did not show to be predictor of stroke occurrence in this context (p 0.862). Conclusion Although patients with higher levels of BNP had suffered more stroke, BNP did not show to be predictor of stroke occurrence in patients admitted with STEMI.