Cystatin C–based CKD‐EPI Equations and N‐Terminal Pro‐B‐Type Natriuretic Peptide for Predicting Outcomes in Acutely Decompensated Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: In patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF), both natriuretic peptides and renal impairment predict adverse outcomes. Our aim was to evaluate the complementary prognosis role of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and the newly developed Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations based on cystatin C (CysC) for glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimation in ADHF patients. HYPOTHESIS: Renal impairment assessed by CysC-based CKD-EPI equations and natriuretic peptides have complementary prognostic value in ADHF patients. METHODS: The study included 613 consecutive patients presenting with ADHF. At admission, plasma levels of NT-proBNP and CysC were determined. The GFR was estimated using CysC-based CKD-EPI equations. The primary endpoint was death from any cause and heart failure readmission. RESULTS: During the median follow-up of 365 days (interquartile range, 227-441 days), 323 patients (0.65 %patient-year) died or were readmitted for heart failure. After multivariate adjustment, estimated GFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and NT-proBNP >3251 pg/mL were independent predictors of adverse outcomes (P < 0.01). The combination of GFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and NT-proBNP >3251 pg/mL was associated with the highest risk of adverse outcomes. Furthermore, reclassification analyses demonstrated that use of both NT-proBNP and CysC-based CKD-EPI equations resulted in improving the accuracy for adverse outcomes prediction. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ADHF, the combination of NT-proBNP with estimated GFR using CysC-based CKD-EPI equations better predicts outcomes than either parameter alone and adds valuable complementary prognosis information to other established risk factors.