J Pers Med. 2023 Mar 5;13(3):474. doi: 10.3390/jpm13030474. PMID: 36983656
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36983656/
Abstract: Previous studies have shown the relationship between N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) with stroke mortality and functional outcome after an acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Knowledge of its association with systemic and neurological in-hospital complications is scarce. Our objective is to analyze this. We performed an observational, retrospective study that included consecutive AIS patients during a 1-year period (2020). A multivariate analysis was performed to identify if NT-proBNP levels were independently associated with in-hospital complications. 308 patients were included, of whom 96 (31.1%) developed systemic and 62 (20.12%) neurological in-hospital complications. Patients with any complication (39.3%) showed higher NT-proBNP levels than those without (median (IQR): 864 (2556) vs. 142 (623) pg/dL, p < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) pointed to 326 pg/dL of NT-proBNP as the optimal cutoff level for developing in-hospital systemic complications (63.6% sensitivity and 64.7% specificity for any complication; 66.7% and 62.7% for systemic; and 62.9% and 57.7% for neurological complications). Multivariate analyses showed that NT-proBNP > 326 pg/dL was associated with systemic complications (OR 2.336, 95% CI: 1.259–4.335), adjusted for confounders. This did not reach statistical significance for neurological complications. NT-proBNP could be a predictor of in-hospital systemic complications in AIS patients. Further studies are needed.
Funding: This study is part of the Spanish Health Outcomes-Oriented Cooperative Research Networks (RICORTS-ICTUS), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Carlos III Health Institute), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Ministry of Science and Innovation), RD21/0006/0010.