Clinical Significance of Brain Natriuretic Peptide in Patients with Postmyocardial Infarction

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Abstract
Background: Risk stratification after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) includes the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) function. Natriuretic peptides, and particularly brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), emerged as a potential marker of ventricular function and prognosis after AMI. Hypothesis: Brain natriuretic peptide levels are related to ventricular function, either systolic or isolated diastolic, and can give prognostic information in patients surviving AMI. Methods: In all, 101 patients were enrolled. An echocardiographic (M-mode, two-dimensional, and pulsed Doppler) evaluation was performed and blood samples for BNP measurement were obtained. Clinical events were recorded during 12 months of follow-up. Results: A negative correlation between BNP and LV ejection fraction was observed (r= -0.38; pConclusion: These results extend previous evidence relating BNP to systolic function after AMI. Furthermore, a relationship between BNP levels and diastolic function was found. Brain natriuretic peptide had a very good performance in detecting the occurrence of an adverse event. We conclude that BNP can detect high-risk patients and help select patients for more aggressive approaches.