ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

International Angiology 2011 June;30(3):242-6

Copyright © 2011 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Cardiac risk stratification in elective non-cardiac surgery: role of NT-proBNP

Novo G. ¹, Corrado E. ¹, Tortorici E. ¹, Novo A. ², Agrusa A. ³, Saladino V. ³, Marturana I. ¹, Lentini R. ⁸, Ferrandes M. ¹, Visconti C. ¹, Massenti F. ⁵, D’Arienzo M. ⁴, Vitale F. ⁵, Gulotta G. ³, Novo S. ¹ ✉

¹ Division of Cardiology, P. Giaccone University Hospital, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; ² Department of Anaesthesia, P. Giaccone University Hospital, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; ³ Division of Emergency Surgery, P. Giaccone University Hospital, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; ⁴ Division of Orthopaedics, P. Giaccone University Hospital, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy; ⁵ Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, P. Giaccone University Hospital, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy

AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate the utility of NT-proBNP measurement for the stratification of presurgical cardiac risk.
METHODS:Cardiac risk before elective non-cardiac surgery was evaluated in 82 consecutive patients. From each patient a venous blood sample was drawn to determinate NT-proBNP levels. Patients were followed up over three months in order to detect the occurrence of cardiac adverse events.
RESULTS: NT-proBNP was positively correlated (P<0.0001) with age, days of hospitalization (P=0.001) and ASA class (P=0.001). High surgical risk (P<0.0001), diabetes (P=0.004), dyslipidemia (P=0.006) and elevated levels of NT-proBNP (P<0.0001) were significantly correlated with events. Using a logistic regression analysis we found an independent association between pre-operative elevated NT-proBNP and postoperative cardiac events (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4, P=0.01).
CONCLUSION:Measuring NT-proBNP before non cardiac surgery in clinical practice could be useful to better stratify patients’ risk.