Key result
Following surgical or interventional correction of obstructive cardiac lesions in 42 children, clinical improvement correlated with a decline in NT-proBNP levels in 31 of 35 patients.
Why the study?
Does NT-proBNP level monitoring reflect the success of surgical or interventional correction in children with stenotic cardiac lesions?
Observational (n=42)
Does NT-proBNP level monitoring reflect the success of surgical or interventional correction in children with stenotic cardiac lesions?
NT-proBNP levels can be used as a surrogate marker to monitor the success of interventions in pediatric patients with stenotic cardiac lesions.
NT-proBNP decline was associated with clinical improvement post-correction; leaves open its utility as a surrogate marker pending prospective validation.
Background. Serum concentration of NT-proBNP correlates well with the severity of cardiac disease in adults. Few studies have been performed on the applicability of NT-proBNP for monitoring children with congenital heart disease. Objective. To assess the potential of NT-proBNP for monitoring the success of interventions in children with stenotic cardiac lesions. Methods. NT-proBNP was measured in 42 children aged 1 day to 17 years (y) before and 6 to 12 weeks after surgical or interventional correction of obstructive lesions of the heart. Comparison is made with the clinical status and echocardiographic data of the child. Results. NT-proBNP levels (median 280, range 10-263,000 pg/mL) were above the reference value in all but 6 patients (pts) prior to the intervention. Higher levels were found in more compromised patients. The 35 children with clinical improvement after the procedure showed a decline of their NT-proBNP level in all but 4 patients, whose levels remained unchanged. Five patients with unchanged gradients despite a therapeutic intervention also demonstrated unchanged NT-proBNP levels after the intervention. Thus, the success rate of the procedure correlated well to clinical and echocardiographic findings. Conclusion. NT-proBNP can be used to assess the efficiency of an intervention.
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Welisch et al. (2009) conducted an observational in Stenotic cardiac lesions (n=42). Surgical or interventional correction of obstructive lesions vs. Pre-intervention baseline was evaluated on Change in NT-proBNP levels. Following surgical or interventional correction of obstructive cardiac lesions in 42 children, clinical improvement correlated with a decline in NT-proBNP levels in 31 of 35 patients.
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