N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels Are Associated with Post-Stroke In-Hospital Complications

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Neurology
• Biomarkers

Background:

• N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is known to correlate with stroke mortality and functional outcomes.
• Limited data exists on the association between NT-proBNP and in-hospital complications following acute ischemic stroke (AIS).
• Understanding these associations can improve patient management and risk stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between NT-proBNP levels and the occurrence of systemic and neurological complications in AIS patients.
• To determine if NT-proBNP is an independent predictor of in-hospital complications after AIS.

Main Methods:

• Observational, retrospective study including 308 consecutive AIS patients admitted in 2020.
• Multivariate analysis was employed to assess the independent association of NT-proBNP levels with in-hospital complications.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis identified optimal NT-proBNP cutoff levels.

Main Results:

• 39.3% of patients experienced in-hospital complications (96 systemic, 62 neurological).
• Patients with complications had significantly higher NT-proBNP levels (median 864 pg/dL) compared to those without (median 142 pg/dL).
• An NT-proBNP cutoff of 326 pg/dL was associated with systemic complications (OR 2.336), but not significantly with neurological complications.

Conclusions:

• Elevated NT-proBNP levels may serve as a predictor for in-hospital systemic complications in patients with acute ischemic stroke.
• NT-proBNP's association with neurological complications did not reach statistical significance in this study.
• Further research is warranted to validate NT-proBNP as a prognostic biomarker for AIS complications.