Log NT-proBNP Research Articles

Impact of small and dense low-density lipoprotein (sd-LDL)on contrast-induced acute kidney injury in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention

To investigate the impact of serum small and dense low-density lipoprotein (sd-LDL) on contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) after emergency percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). From November 2019 to August 2020, 352 patients with STEMI who underwent primary PCI were recruited consecutively. Patients were divided into CI-AKI group (n = 71) and non-CI-AKI group (n = 281). CI-AKI was defined as an increase in serum creatinine (≥ 25% or ≥ 0.5mg/dL) from baseline occurring 72h after PCI. All subjects were tested for sd-LDL. In the 352 eligible patients with STEMI receiving emergency PCI, 71 patients (20.2%) developed CI-AKI. The levels of sd-LDL in CI-AKI group was higher than those in the non-CI-AKI group, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The area under the curve (AUC) of the sd-LDL was 0.741 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.538-0.636] in the STEMI patients receiving emergency PCI. CI-AKI model included the following five predictors: sd-LDL, NLR, Diabetes, Pre-PCI eGFR, and Log NT-proBNP. The AUC of forecast probability was 0.835 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.786-0.883].The Hosmer-Lemeshow test has a P value of 0.519, which confirms the model's goodness of fit. Increased sd-LDL is independently associated with risk of CI-AKI in STEMI patients treated by primary PCI.

Impact of body mass index on left atrial dimension in HOCM patients.

BackgroundSubstantial studies have demonstrated that left atrial (LA) enlargement was a robust predictor of atrial fibrillation (AF) and obesity was a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. However, the role of body mass index (BMI) on LA dimension in hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (HOCM) remains unclear.MethodsA total of 423 HOCM patients (average BMI 25.4 ± 3.4 kg/m2) were recruited for our study. Participants were stratified into three groups based on BMI: normal weight (BMI < 23 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 23–27.5 kg/m2), and obesity (BMI ≥ 27.5 kg/m2).ResultsCompared with normal weight, patients with obesity had significantly lower prevalence of syncope (p = 0.007) and moderate or severe mitral regurgitation (p = 0.014), and serum NT-proBNP (p = 0.004). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that BMI (β = 0.328, p < 0.001), log NT-proBNP (β = 0.308, p < 0.001), presence of AF (β = 0.209, p = 0.001), and left ventricular diastolic diameter index (β = 0.142, p = 0.019) were independently related with LA diameter. However, BMI was not an independent predictor of the presence of AF on multivariable binary logistical regression analysis.ConclusionsBMI was independently associated with LA diameter; however, it was not an independent predictor of prevalence of AF. These results suggest that BMI may promote incidence of AF through LA enlargement in HOCM.

Association of Longitudinal Changes in NT-proBNP With Changes in Left Atrial Volume and Function: MESA.

The mechanism of left atrial (LA) remodeling is poorly understood. The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate whether changes in NT-proBNP levels relate to alterations of LA structure and function over time in a multiethnic population. From the prospective cohort study, the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, our analysis included 1,838 participants who underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at the baseline and 10-year examinations, had NT-proBNP levels available at both time points, and did not develop heart failure, myocardial infarction, and/or atrial fibrillation. Multivariable linear regression was used to analyze the association between NT-proBNP level (log-transformed) at the 2 time points and change in LA volumes, LA emptying fractions (total, active, and passive), and LA longitudinal strain. Log NT-proBNP was categorized into Low-Low (N = 681), Low-High (N = 238), High-Low (N = 237), and High-High (N = 682) based on the median value at both time points. With the Low-Low group as the reference group, the High-High group experienced a greater increase in LA maximum and minimum indexed volumes: 3.1 ml/m2 (95% confidence interval 1.98, 4.20) and 2.7 ml/m2 (1.89, 3.51), respectively. The High-High group also experienced a greater decrease in LA total, passive, active emptying fraction, and longitudinal strain: -3.3% (-4.46, -2.11), -0.9% (-1.80, -0.02), -4.2% (-5.55, -2.76), and -2.3% (-3.80, -0.72), respectively. The Low-High group had similar associations, but the effect sizes were not as high. Adverse LA remodeling over 10 years of follow-up strongly correlates with prolonged elevated levels of intracardiac stress, as assessed by NT-proBNP levels.

N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Longitudinal Risk of Hypertension.

Hypertension is a common condition that increases risk for future cardiovascular disease. N-terminal B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is higher in individuals with hypertension, but studies of its association with hypertension risk have been mixed. The REasons for Geographic And Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study enrolled 30,239 U.S. Black or White adults aged ≥45 years from 2003 to 2007. A subcohort included 4,400 participants who completed a second assessment in 2013-2016. NT-proBNP was measured by immunoassay in 1,323 participants without baseline hypertension, defined as blood pressure ≥140/90 or self-reported antihypertensive prescriptions. Two robust Poisson regression models assessed hypertension risk, yielding incidence rate ratios (IRRs): Model 1 included behavioral and demographic covariates and Model 2 added risk factors. A sensitivity analysis using a less conservative definition of hypertension (blood pressure ≥130/80 or self-reported antihypertensive prescriptions) was conducted. Four hundred and sixty-six participants developed hypertension after mean follow-up of 9.4 years. NT-proBNP was not associated with hypertension (Model 2 IRR per SD log NT-proBNP 1.01, 95% confidence interval 0.92-1.12), with no differences by sex, body mass index, age, or race. Similar findings were seen in lower-threshold sensitivity analysis. NT-proBNP was not associated with incident hypertension in REGARDS; this did not differ by race or sex.

Abstract 14963: Accelerometer-measured Activity in Non-obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: Patient-generated Activity Measures Correlate With, and Are Convolutional Neural Network Predictors of, Clinical Parameters in the MAVERICK-HCM Study

Introduction: Overall activity characteristics for patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) have not been quantified previously. The relationship between physical activity quantified by accelerometry and biomarkers, exercise capacity, and quality of life in patients with HCM is also unknown. Methods: MAVERICK-HCM was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 16-week study of mavacamten in 59 patients with symptomatic non-obstructive HCM. Patients were asked to wear ActiGraph GT9X Link wrist-worn monitors for ≥11 days between screening and day 1, and between weeks 12 and 16. Features derived from raw accelerometry data included average daily accelerometer units (ADAU) and step count. Univariate Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between accelerometry data and clinical parameters among all patients. A multi-task convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained on raw accelerometry datapoints to jointly predict clinical markers of HCM severity. Test and training sets were derived by randomly segmenting each patient’s triaxial accelerometry data into non-overlapping minute intervals. Results: Fifty patients wore the accelerometer for ≥1 compliant day. Mean wear time was 12 days during screening and 10 days during treatment. Activity measures are summarized and average step count was 3,076 steps at baseline ( Table ). Activity features correlated with peak oxygen uptake (pVO 2 ), log NT-proBNP, and KCCQ score ( Table ). CNN predictions of clinical measures from activity data found Spearman R correlations of 0.82 for pVO 2 , 0.92 for log NT-proBNP, 0.82 for KCCQ, and 0.79 for E/e’. Conclusions: HCM patients in the MAVERICK study averaged only 3,000 steps/day. Markers of physical activity drawn from accelerometry are associated with standard clinical markers of HCM severity. Deep learning models can be constructed to predict markers of HCM severity from patients’ raw accelerometry data.

Abstract 14277: Serum Nt-prob-type Natriuretic Peptide is Associated With Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction in Patients With Angina and Non-obstructive Coronary Artery Disease

Title: Serum NT-proB-type Natriuretic Peptide is associated with Coronary Microvascular Dysfunction in Patients with Angina and Non-obstructive Coronary Artery Disease Authors: Ali Ahmad, MD, Jaskanwal D. Sara, MBChB, Michel T. Corban, MD, Takumi Toya, MD, Ilke Özcan, MD, Lilach O. Lerman, MD PhD, Amir Lerman, MD Introduction: Coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) is prevalent in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Subclinical ischemia and myocardial fibrosis in CMD might raise filling pressure, a hallmark of HFpEF, which induces secretion of NT-proB-type natriuretic peptide (NTpro-BNP). We sought to explore the relationship between CMD and NT-proBNP. Methods: We studied 698 patients with signs and/or symptoms of ischemia and with non-obstructive CAD (&lt;40% angiographic stenosis) who underwent invasive CMD evaluation and had NT-proBNP checked within 6 weeks. CMD was defined as coronary flow reserve (CFR) (hyperemic flow/baseline flow as measured by the doppler wire) of ≤2.5 in response to intracoronary adenosine injection. Results: Overall mean age was 52.8±12.2 years, and women represented 69% of the patients. Log NT-proBNP showed a modest inverse correlation with CFR (Pearson’s R = -0.22, P&lt;0.0001; Figure 1 ), which remained significant after adjusting for age and gender (Standardized ß coefficient = -0.14; P = 0.001). Patients with CMD had higher levels of NT-proBNP than those without (82 [44-190] vs. 62 (33-130], P &lt;0.0001; Figure 2) . Conclusion: Declining coronary microvascular function is correlated with higher NT-proBNP levels. Patients with CMD had higher levels of NT-proBNP, a marker of elevated LV pressure, contributing to the possible role of CMD in early HFpEF pathophysiology. Keywords: Coronary microvascular dysfunction, NT-proBNP

Identification of predictors of response to initial oral combination therapy in WHO-functional class II or III PAH patients: a post-hoc analysis of the AMBITION study

Abstract Background AMBITION Study (NCT01178073) provided the first long-term clinical evidence for initial combination therapy with ambrisentan and tadalafil (COMB) compared with monotherapy of either agent (MONO), and the results contributed to the ESC/ERS guidelines recommending initial combination therapy in PAH patients with low and intermediate risk. However, predictors of response to initial oral combination therapy to identify PAH patients who benefit most from it have not been assessed. Purpose To identify potential predictors of response to initial combination therapy with ambrisentan and tadalafil (COMB) in PAH patients with WHO-FC II or III in the AMBITION study. Methods We examined 302 COMB patients from the modified intention to treat (mITT) population enrolled in the AMBITION study (n=605). The mITT population includes PAH patients with risk factors related to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (Ex-PAS) who were excluded from the primary analysis set (PAS). A responder (i.e. event-free subject) was defined as not having a clinical failure event. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with responders. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine independent risk for each factor that showed a significant difference between cohorts by interactive backward selection. Odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and p-values are presented. Results Univariate analysis showed that responders tended to be lower age, female, typical PAH (i.e. PAS), absence of coronary artery disease, non-use of oxygen therapy, and have better baseline parameters (i.e., lower NT-proBNP, longer 6-minute walk distance, low Borg index, high SaO2, WHO-FC II). A multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female gender (OR=2.669, 95% CI: 1.291–5.518, P=0.0081), use of aldosterone antagonist diuretics (OR=2.535, 95% CI: 1.027–6.257, P=0.0436), lower log NT-proBNP (OR=0.704, 95% CI: 0.524–0.944, P=0.0190), and longer 6-minute walk distance (OR=1.006, 95% CI: 1.002–1.010, P=0.0039) were independent predictors of response to initial combination therapy. Conclusion These findings suggest that initial combination therapy with ambrisentan and tadalafil is beneficial, especially in less severe typical PAH patients. It also demonstrates that there is a potential contributing factor (i.e. use of aldosterone antagonist diuretics) which is not listed in the risk assessment table of the ESC/ERS guidelines. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Private company. Main funding source(s): AMBITION study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK; study number 112565; trial registration number: NCT01178073) and Gilead Sciences, Inc. This analysis was funded by both companies.

The Value of NT-proBNP the Follow - up of Children with Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Objectives: To survery the plasma NT-proBNP concentration, the correlation between NT-proBNP concentration and the New York Pediatric Heart Failure Index (NYU PHFI) in children with dilated cardiomyopathy. Comment on the association of NT-proBNP with the level of left ventricular dilatation and systolic function in the follow - up of children with dilated cardiomyopathy. Method: Prospective, descriptive study. Results: At the time of diagnosis, 32 out of 33 patients (97%) had an NTproBNP level higher than 97,5th percentile. The log NT-proBNP was significantly positively correlated with PHFI (r = 0.84; P &lt;0.001). The log NT-proBNP wasalso positively correlated with LVED (r = 0.519; p &lt;0.001), was negatively correlated with LVEF (r = -0.736; p &lt;0.001) and LVFS (r = - 0.737; p &lt;0.001. The initial levels of serum NT-proBNP were not different from three progressed groups. However, at 3 months after diagnosis, the NT-proBNP of the improved group was significantly different from each other. Conclusion: NT-proBNP is an excellentbiomarker used to diagnose and assess cardiac insufficiency inthe follow – up of children with dilated cardiomyopathy.&#x0D; &#x0D;

P1259RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN NT-PROBNP AND ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN PREVALENT HEMODIALYSIS PATIENTS

Abstract Background and Aims There are several reports showing on the relationship between electrocardiographic (ECG) findings and prognosis in dialysis patients. We recently reported that among various ECG findings, T-wave of lead aVR (aVRT) amplitude revealed the strongest and significant association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and all-cause mortality in prevalent dialysis patients (Ther Apher Dial, 2017). We also reported that BNP level was significantly associated with CVD-related mortality and all-cause mortality in our cohort study (Ren Fail, 2018; Sci Rep, 2019). On the other hand, BNP levels have been reported to be higher among elderly and women and lower in people with higher body mass index. However, there is no report showing the correlation between NT-proBNP and ECG findings. Method From our Miyazaki Dialysis Cohort, we extracted patients who had both ECG findings and NT-proBNP data and did not have atrial fibrillation. We examined the relationship between log NT-proBNP level and various ECG findings using Spearman analysis as a cross-sectional study. Results We analyzed 519 hemodialysis patients (44.1% women, mean age was 66.1 years old, median dialysis vintage was 105 months) without atrial fibrillation. Diabetes mellitus was the underlying disease in 25.0% and a history of CVD was found in 25.2% of all patients. Median and IQR (25-75 percentile) of NT proBNP was 4150 (1980-8960). Log NT-proBNP level was significantly correlated with aVRT magnitude (mV), electrical left ventricular high voltage (mV), QTc time (ms), and T-wave amplitude of I lead (mV) (r=0.289, p&amp;lt;0.01; r=0.248, p&amp;lt;0.01; r=0.271, p&amp;lt;0.01; r=-0.282, p&amp;lt;0.01, respectively). However, log NT-proBNP did not show significant correlation with heart rate, PR interval and QRS duration. These significant correlations between these ECG findings and log NT-proBNP were higher in men compared with women. Conclusion Although some ECG findings and BNP level are factors associated with CVD events and death, there was also a significant correlation between these two factors. There has been no report showing the relationships between these two factors, and it may be useful in considering BNP levels in dialysis patients.

Involvement of Autonomic Nervous System in New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation during Acute Myocardial Infarction.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and associated with in-hospital and long-term mortality. However, the pathophysiology of AF in AMI is poorly understood. Heart rate variability (HRV), measured by Holter-ECG, reflects cardiovascular response to the autonomic nervous system and altered (reduced or enhanced) HRV may have a major role in the onset of AF in AMI patients. Objective: We investigated the relationship between autonomic dysregulation and new-onset AF during AMI. Methods: As part of the RICO survey, all consecutive patients hospitalized for AMI at Dijon (France) university hospital between June 2001 and November 2014 were analyzed by Holter-ECG <24 h following admission. HRV was measured using temporal and spectral analysis. Results: Among the 2040 included patients, 168 (8.2%) developed AF during AMI. Compared to the sinus-rhythm (SR) group, AF patients were older, had more frequent hypertension and lower left ventricular ejection fraction LVEF. On the Holter parameters, AF patients had higher pNN50 values (11% vs. 4%, p < 0.001) and median LH/HF ratio, a reflection of sympathovagal balance, was significantly lower in the AF group (0.88 vs 2.75 p < 0.001). The optimal LF/HF cut-off for AF prediction was 1.735. In multivariate analyses, low LF/HF <1.735 (OR(95%CI) = 3.377 (2.047–5.572)) was strongly associated with AF, ahead of age (OR(95%CI) = 1.04(1.01–1.06)), mean sinus-rhythm rate (OR(95%CI) = 1.03(1.02–1.05)) and log NT-proBNP (OR(95%CI) = 1.38(1.01–1.90). Conclusion: Our study strongly suggests that new-onset AF in AMI mainly occurs in a dysregulated autonomic nervous system, as suggested by low LF/HF, and higher PNN50 and RMSSD values.

P2487Echocardiography and NT-ProBNP both provide independent and improved prediction of prognosis in a type 1 diabetes population without heart disease and with preserved ejection fraction

Abstract Background Cardiovascular disease is the most common comorbidity in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Current guidelines, however, do not include routine echocardiography or cardiac biomarkers in T1D. Objectives To investigate if echocardiography and NT-proBNP provide incremental prognostic information in individuals with T1D without heart disease and with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Methods A prospective cohort of individuals with T1D without heart disease and with preserved LVEF (≥45%) from the outpatient clinic were included. Follow-up was performed through Danish national registers. The association between E/e', a marker of diastolic function, from echocardiography and NT-proBNP with major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) was tested. MACE was defined as death from all-causes, acute coronary syndromes, cardiac revascularization, incident heart failure, or stroke. Additionally, the incremental prognostic value when adding E/e' and NT-proBNP to the clinical Steno T1D Risk Engine score (including age, sex, duration of diabetes, systolic blood pressure, LDL, HbA1c, presence of albuminuria (micro-or macroalbuminuria), eGFR, smoking status, and physical activity [low, medium, high]), was examined. Follow-up was 100% complete. Results Of 964 individuals (mean (SD)) age 49.7 (14.5) years, 51% men, HbA1c 66 (14) mmol/mol, BMI 25.6 (4.0) kg/m2, and diabetes duration 26.1 (14.5) years), 121 (12.6%) experienced MACE during 7.5 years of follow-up. In the full multivariable model, E/e' significantly and independently predicted MACE: (HR (95%)) E/'e &lt;8 (n=639) vs. 8–12 (n=248): 2.00 (1.23; 3.25), p=0.005, E/'e &lt;8 vs E/e'≥12 (n=77): 3.36 (1.8; 6.1), p&lt;0.001. Also, NT-proBNP significantly predicted outcome: NT-proBNP &lt;150 pg/ml (n=435) vs. 150–450 pg/ml (n=386): 1.52 (0.9; 2.5), p=0.11, NT-proBNP &lt;150 pg/ml vs NT-proBNP &gt;450 pg/ml (n=143): 2.78 (1.6; 4.9), p&lt;0.001. Adding both (log)E/e' and (log)NT-proBNP to the Steno T1D Risk Engine score significantly and incrementally improved risk prediction: Harrell's C-index: Steno T1D Risk Engine (AUC 0.783 (0.747; 0.818)) vs. Steno T1D Risk Engine + (log)E/e' (AUC 0.805 (0.773; 0.837)): p&lt;0.001 and Steno T1D Risk Engine + (log)E/e' + (log) NT-proBNP (AUC 0.816 (0.783; 0.848)): p=0.002. The risk of MACE by groups of E/e' and NT-proBNP is shown in the figure. Figure 1 Conclusion In individuals with T1D without heart disease and with preserved LVEF, E/e' and NT-proBNP significantly improved risk prediction of cardiovascular events beyond clinical risk factors alone. Echocardiography and NT-proBNP could have a role in clinical care.

P4514Agreement and prognostic significance of 6 frailty tools in patients with chronic heart failure

Abstract Background Frailty is common in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) and is associated with adverse outcome. Many frailty tools are available, however, there is no standard way of evaluating frailty in patients with CHF. Purpose To report the prevalence of frailty, agreement and prognostic significance amongst 3 frailty assessment tools and 3 screening tools in CHF patients. Methods We comprehensively studied frailty using 6 frailty tools. Frailty screening tools include: Clinical frailty scale (CFS); Derby frailty index &amp; Acute frailty network frailty criteria. Frailty assessment tools include: Fried criteria; Edmonton frailty score &amp; Deficit index. Since there is no gold standard in evaluating frailty in CHF patients, for each of the frailty tools, we used the results of the other 5 tools to produce a combined frailty index which we used as a “standard” frailty tool. Subjects were defined as frail if so identified by at least 3 out of 5 tools. Results 467 consecutive ambulatory CHF patients (67% male, median age 76 (IQR: 69–82) years, median NTproBNP 1156 (IQR: 469–2463) ng/L) and 87 controls (79% male, median age 73 (IQR: 69–77 years) were studied. Prevalence of frailty was much higher in CHF patients than in controls (30–52% vs 2–15%, respectively). Amongst the frailty screening tools, DFI scored the greatest proportion of patients as frail (48%) while CFS scored the lowest proportion as frail (44%). Amongst the assessment tools, Fried criteria scored the greatest proportion of patients as frail (52%) while EFS scored the lowest proportion as frail (30%). Frail patients were older, have worse symptoms, higher NTproBNP and more co-morbidities compared to non-frail patients. Of the screening tools, CFS had the strongest agreement with assessment tools (kappa coefficient: 0.65–0.72, all p&lt;0.001). CFS had the highest sensitivity (87%) and specificity (89%) amongst screening tools and the lowest misclassification rate (12%) amongst all 6 frailty tools in identifying frailty according to the combined frailty index. During a median follow-up of 559 days (IQR 512–629 days), 82 (18%) patients died. 55% (N=45) of frail patients died of non-cardiovascular causes. Worsening frailty as detected by all 6 frailty tools was associated with worse outcome. A base model for mortality prediction including sex, NYHA class (III/IV vs I/II), BMI, log NTproBNP and haemoglobin had a C-statistics of 0.78. Amongst frailty tools: CFS and Fried criteria increased model performance most compared with base model (c-statistics: 0.80 for both). Patients who were frail according to CFS had a 9 times greater mortality risk than non-frail patients (Figure). Conclusion Frailty is common in CHF patients and is associated with worse outcome. CFS is a simple screening tool which identifies a similar group as lengthy assessment tools and has similar prognostic significance. Frailty screening should be incorporated into routine care of patients with CHF. Acknowledgement/Funding None

High admission glucose levels predict worse short-term clinical outcome in non-diabetic patients with acute myocardial infraction: a retrospective observational study

BackgroundPatients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) often accompanied by admission hyperglycemia, which usually predicts a poor clinical outcomes for non-diabetes mellitus. Appropriate cut-point to identify high risk individuals in these patients remains controversial.MethodsOne thousand six hundred ninety-eight non-diabetes AMI patients in this retrospective study were divided into 3 groups according to admission glucose levels (euglycemia group≤140 mg/dL, moderate hyperglycemia group 141–179 mg/dL, severe hyperglycemia group≥180 mg/dL). The primary endpoint of this study was all-cause in-hospital mortality rate. In-hospital motality related risk factors was analyzed by multivariate binary logistic regression analyses.ResultsAll myocardial necrosis markers and Log NT-proBNP in severe hyperglycemia group were significantly higher than those in the other 2 groups. Logistic regression showed that independent predictors of the in-hospital mortality rate in non-diabetic patients with AMI were age (OR = 1.057, 95% CI 1.024–1.091, P < 0.001), logarithm of the N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (OR = 7.697, 95% CI 3.810–15.550, P < 0.001), insufficient myocardial reperfusion (OR = 7.654, 95% CI 2.109–27.779, P < 0.001), percutaneous coronary intervention (OR = 0.221, 95% CI 0.108–0.452, P < 0.001) and admission glucose (as categorical variable). Patients with moderate hyperglycemia (OR = 1.186, 95% CI 0.585–2.408, P = .636) and severe hyperglycemia (OR = 4.595, 95% CI 1.942–10.873, P = 0.001) had a higher all-cause in-hospital mortality rate compared with those with euglycemia after AMI in non-diabetic patients.ConclusionsThe all-cause in-hospital mortality risk increases remarkably as admission glucose levels elevated in non-diabetic patients with AMI, especially in patients with admission glucose levels ≥180 mg/dL. Severe admission hyperglycemia could be regarded as prospective high-risk marker for non-diabetic AMI patients.

Is N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide a reliable marker for body fluid status in children with chronic kidney disease?

IntroductionBrain natriuretic peptides, released in response to left ventricular stress, have a strong prognostic value in dialysis patients. However, their role in detecting abnormalities of fluid status is under debate; the relationship between volume status and brain natriuretic peptides (BNPs) differs among various studies. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical utility of N-terminal proBNP in the assessment of fluid status and cardiovascular risk in this setting.Material and methodsThe study included 65 children: 10 pre-dialysis, 13 hemodialysis, 12 peritoneal dialysis patients and 30 healthy controls. Volume status was determined by multifrequency bioimpedance and NT-pro-BNP, as well as echocardiography to estimate the left ventricle structure and function.ResultsThe median log NT-proBNP values of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients were 3.66 (2.05–4.90) and 3.57 (2.51–4.13) pg/ml, respectively, and significantly higher compared with the control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). On simple correlation, NT-proBNP was correlated with markers of volume overload and cardiac dysfunction. On multivariate regression analysis, only left ventricle mass index (β = 0.402, p = 0.003) and left atrium diameter (β = 0.263, p = 0.018) were independently associated with NT-proBNP (adjusted R2 of the model: 0.707, p < 0.001).ConclusionsOur research suggested that NT-proBNP, which was correlated with LV systolic and diastolic dysfunction and fluid overload as assessed by bioimpedance, can be used to evaluate cardiovascular states in a chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. From the early stages of CKD, periodic monitoring of NT-proBNP levels may be essential for early detection of patients with high risk of cardiovascular events, and for taking preventive intervention as soon as possible.

Associations of Electrocardiographic Parameters with Left Ventricular Longitudinal Strain and Prognosis in Cardiac Light Chain Amyloidosis

A 12-lead ECG is a simple and less costly measure to assess cardiac amyloidosis and may reflect the infiltrative nature of cardiac amyloidosis and have prognostic value for predicting overall survival in patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis. Therefore, we investigated the associations of surface ECG parameters with left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain (GLS) and prognosis in patients with cardiac AL amyloidosis. We performed a multi-center, retrospective analysis of 102 biopsy-proven cardiac AL amyloidosis patients. Baseline studies included 12-lead surface ECG and echocardiography, with two-dimensional strain analysis performed within one month of diagnosis. From the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, patients with prolonged QTc (≥483 msec) had significantly poorer survival. ECG scores were assigned according to presence of prolonged QTc (≥483 msec) and abnormal QRS axis, and the study participants were divided into three groups according to ECG score. Mean absolute value of LV GLS and regional LV longitudinal strain (LS) differed significantly among the three groups and decreased in a stepwise manner as ECG score increased. Log NT-proBNP increased in a stepwise manner as ECG score increased. Prolonged QTc (≥483 msec) and abnormal QRS axis showed significant incremental values in addition to the revised Mayo stage. The presence of prolonged QTc (≥483 msec) and abnormal QRS axis showed significant incremental values for overall mortality rates. In addition, ECG scores consisting of presence of prolonged QTc (≥483 msec), and abnormal QRS axis showed good association with longitudinal LV dysfunction and NT-proBNP. ECG finding may provide prognostic additional information regarding prognosis of AL amyloidosis with cardiac involvement.

Abstract P033: NT-proBNP as a Biomarker to Detect Salt Sensitivity

Finding a biomarker to identify salt sensitive individuals would be an important step in the personalized management of hypertension. The natriuretic peptide, amino terminal pro-type B natriuretic peptide NT-proBNP, secreted by the heart in response to volume overload, is positively associated with incident hypertension. We hypothesized that when exposed to low salt diets, individuals with elevated NT-proBNP (≥ 100 pg/mL) will have a greater decrease in systolic blood pressure than those with NT-proBNP within the physiological range (40 - 90 pg/mL). Methods: Individuals with systolic/diastolic blood pressures greater than 120/85 mmHg and NT-proBNP values ≥ 40 pg/mL were included if they were not on blood pressure lowering medications and were free of cardiovascular or renal disease, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pulmonary hypertension or any condition that would be associated with secondary causes of hypertension. Low salt diets consisted of meals containing total sodium 50 mmol/day. Meals were prepared at the Fairview University Hospital kitchen and provided to each participant for 10 days. Subjects were instructed to eat only the meals provided by the study. Sitting blood pressure, NT-proBNP, plasma glucose, sodium, creatinine and urinary sodium and creatinine were measured before and after 10 days on the low salt diet. Urinary creatinine and sodium was determined in 24-hour urine on day 10. Statistical analysis. Change (blood pressure after - blood pressure before low salt diet) in systolic blood pressure values were linearly regressed on log transformed NT-proBNP values. Results: 9 individuals (5 females) mean (SD) age 58.3 (8.1) years were classified into physiological 51.2 (7.8) pg/mL (n = 4) and an elevated 165.7 (84.5) pg/mL (n = 5) category of NT-proBNP. Systolic blood pressures was 127.9 (13.9) and 139.5 (9.6) mmHg for the physiological and elevated category of NT-proBNP, respectively, p = 0.18. Body mass index and plasma glucose, sodium and creatinine at baseline were also similar between the two groups. Following 10 days of low salt diet, systolic blood pressure decreased by a mean (SE) 16.9 (6.8) mmHg in those with elevated levels of NT-proBNP and by 10.9 (3.3) mmHg in those with physiological levels of NT-proBNP, p = 0.4. Baseline log NT-proBNP was inversely associated with change in systolic blood pressure r = - 0.60, p = 0.09. For log NT-proBNP values between 3.697 and 5.745 pg/mL, every log unit increase in NT-proBNP at baseline was associated with a mean (range) systolic blood pressure decrease of 10.4 (5 - 37.7) mmHg, p = 0.09. Conclusions: Results from a large-scale study are required to confirm the findings from this small pilot study that elevated values of NT-proBNP can predict who will have a decrease in systolic blood pressure in response to a low sodium diet.

Serum N-terminal Pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide Level is Associated with the Development of Chronic Kidney Diseases in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Previous studies revealed the association between serum Nterminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level and chronic kidney diseases (CKD) in general population. However, little is known about the association between serum NT-proBNP level and incident CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes. Thus, we investigated the impact of serum NT-proBNP level on incident CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes. We enrolled 211 type 2 diabetic patients without CKD in this cohort study. CKD was diagnosed as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m2. We divided the patients into three groups according to the tertiles of serum NT-proBNP level. Univariates and multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) for the incident CKD were calculated by Cox regression analyses. Over the median follow-up period of 7 years, 56 patients developed incident CKD. Log NTproBNP was positively associated with incident CKD (HR 3.70, 95%CI 1.72-8.18, p <0.001). Compared with the lowest level of serum NT-proBNP tertile (≤36 pg/mL), the highest level of serum NTproBNP tertile (≥84 pg/mL) showed increased risk of incident CKD after adjusting age, sex, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, creatinine, smoking, usage of hypertension drug and urinary albumin excretion at baseline examination (adjusted HR2.37, 95% CI 1.09-5.48, p = 0.028). Serum NT-proBNP level is an independent biomarker for incident CKD in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation Improves Cardiac Sympathetic Nerve Activity on 123I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine Myocardial Scintigraphy in Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis.

There is a consensus that overactivation of the cardiac sympathetic nervous system (CSN) proportionately increases the severity of heart failure and is accompanied by worse prognosis. Because it is unknown whether patients with aortic valve stenosis (AS) have similar CSN activation, we investigated the effect of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).Methods and Results:We enrolled 31 consecutive patients with AS treated by TAVI. 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) myocardial scintigraphy was performed at baseline and at 2 weeks after TAVI. At baseline, the early heart-mediastinum ratio (H/M) was within normal limits (3.0±0.5), but the delayed H/M was low (2.6±0.6) and the washout rate (WR) was high (34±13%). WR negatively correlated with aortic valve area (r=-0.389, P<0.01) and cardiac output (r=-0.595, P<0.01) and positively correlated with norepinephrine (r=0.519, P<0.01) and log NT-proBNP level (r=0.613, P<0.01). After TAVI, there were significant decreases in the norepinephrine level (366±179 ng/mL vs. 276±125 ng/mL, P<0.01) and WR (34±13 vs. 26±11%, P<0.01). The WR of MIBG was a useful marker of CSN activity and severity of AS. Immediate improvement of CSN activity after TAVI implied that AS hemodynamics per se enhanced CSN.

Right ventricular involvement evaluated by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging predicts mortality in patients with light chain amyloidosis

Few studies have focused on right ventricular (RV) involvement in cardiac amyloidosis (CA). We investigated the prognostic value of RV assessment by cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in CA. In 2011–2014, consecutive patients with suspected CA referred for CMR were retrospectively evaluated. Demographic and baseline clinical characteristics were collected. Healthy volunteers were matched for sex and age and served as controls. All subjects underwent a contrast-enhanced CMR examination. RV size, function, and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) were analyzed. All deaths during follow-up were recorded. Sixty-one patients [37 males (60.7%), age 60 ± 11 years] were included; CA was diagnosed in 47 (77.0%) patients. CA patients displayed decreased biventricular ejection fraction, elevated left ventricular mass index, and increased biventricular end-systolic volume index (ESVi) compared with controls. A total of 27 deaths (57.4%) occurred in the CA group at 21-month median follow-up. Multivariable analysis demonstrated that RVESVi (HR 1.033, 95% CI 1.004–1.063, P = 0.026) and RV-LGE (HR 2.814, 95% CI 1.063–7.450, P = 0.037) were independent predictors of mortality in CA. For all amyloid patients, log NT-proBNP (HR 3.412; 95% CI 1.484–7.845; P = 0.004) and RV-LGE (HR 4.149; 95% CI 1.623–10.607; P = 0.003) were identified as independent predictors. RVESVi and RV-LGE are independent predictors of survival and evaluation of RV by CMR enables risk stratification in patients with CA.

A study of clinical and physiological relations of daily physical activity in precapillary pulmonary hypertension.

Daily physical activity is reduced in precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH), but the underlying mechanisms are inadequately explored. We sought to investigate clinical and physiological relations of daily physical activity and profile differences between less and more active patients with precapillary PH. A prospective, cross-sectional study of 20 patients with precapillary PH who undertook 1) a comprehensive clinical assessment, 2) a preliminary treadmill test, 3) 7-day monitoring of daily walking intensity with triaxial accelerometry, and 4) a personalized treadmill test corresponding to the individual patient mean daily walking intensity with real-time physiological measurements. Significant clinical correlations with individual patient mean walking intensity [1.71 ± 0.27 (SD) m/s2] were observed for log-transformed N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (log NT-proBNP; r = -0.75, P = <.001), age (r = -0.70, P = 0.001), transfer factor for carbon monoxide %predicted (r = 0.51, P = 0.022), and 6-min walk distance (r = 0.50, P = 0.026). Significant physiological correlations were obtained for heart rate reserve (r = 0.68, P = 0.001), quadriceps tissue oxygenation index (Q-[Formula: see text]; r = 0.58, P = 0.008), change in Q-[Formula: see text] from rest (r = 0.60, P = 0.006), and ventilatory equivalent for oxygen uptake (r = -0.56, P = 0.013). Stepwise multiple regression analyses retained log NT-proBNP (R2 = 0.55), heart rate reserve (R2 = 0.44), and Q-[Formula: see text] (R2 = 0.13) accounting for a significant variance in individual walking intensity. Less active patients had greater physical activity-induced cardiopulmonary impairment, worse quadriceps oxygenation profile, and compromised health-related quality of life compared with more active patients. These preliminary findings suggest a significant relation between right ventricular and peripheral muscle oxygenation status and reduced daily physical activity in precapillary PH. Further research is warranted to unravel the physiological determinants, establish clinical predictors, and identify beneficial interventions.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Daily physical activity holds promise to be a meaningful, patient-related outcome measure in pulmonary hypertension. In this study, novel findings in a representative sample of patients with precapillary pulmonary hypertension link reduced daily walking activity, as measured by triaxial accelerometry, with compromised right ventricular and pulmonary vascular status, peripheral muscle oxygenation, and health-related quality of life, providing a preliminary insight into the physiological mechanisms and clinical predictors of daily physical activity in precapillary pulmonary hypertension.