Plasma brain natriuretic peptide concentrations in patients undergoing pulmonary vein isolation.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether raised plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentrations decrease after successful pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).


METHODS
53 patients (mean age 53 years) with drug-refractory, paroxysmal lone AF underwent segmental ostial PVI. Blood samples were collected before and after PVI. BNP concentrations were determined by immunoassays.


RESULTS
Median plasma BNP concentrations were significantly higher in patients with lone AF than in controls (patients with supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, n = 21) (64.6 (71.9) v 13.9 (7.8) pg/ml, p < 0.01). AF recurred in 21 patients after the initial PVI procedure (recurrent AF group), and the others were free from AF without antiarrhythmic drugs (non-recurrent AF group). BNP concentrations were significantly decreased by PVI in the non-recurrent AF group (38.9 (39.1) to 18.3 (16.1) pg/ml, p < 0.01) but not in the recurrent AF group.


CONCLUSIONS
Raised plasma BNP concentrations decreased after successful segmental ostial PVI in patients with AF.
Date
T
T
Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. datet@jikei.ac.jp
Yamane
T
T
Inada
K
K
Matsuo
S
S
Miyanaga
S
S
Sugimoto
K
K
Shibayama
K
K
Taniguchi
I
I
Mochizuki
S
S
D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000097:blood / Q000601:surgery*; D017115:Catheter Ablation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000601:surgery*
D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain