NT-proBNP Predicts CV Events

VIENNA — Preoperative N-terminal prohormone-B-type natriuretic peptide level is an independent predictor of postoperative cardiac events in patients undergoing noncoronary vascular surgery, Dr. Olaf Schouten said at the annual congress of the European Society of Cardiology.

In a prospective study of 419 patients undergoing aortic aneurysm repair, lower-extremity peripheral bypass, or carotid surgery, preoperative NT-proBNP proved to be an “excellent” prognostic indicator, with a cutoff value of 300 pg/mL being optimal, according to Dr. Schouten, a vascular surgeon at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Patients with a preoperative NT-proBNP greater than 300 pg/mL had a 5.6-fold increased risk of a postoperative cardiac event, compared with those with a lesser value.