[Brain natriuretic peptide and QRS duration as a predictor for cardiac events in patients with heart failure].
OBJECTIVE
Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and QRS duration have been reported as independent predictors for cardiac events in patients with heart failure. The present study investigated the relationships between BNP and QRS duration to assess the prognostic value in patients with heart failure.


METHODS
We prospectively examined 93 patients presenting to our emergency department with heart failure between April 2000 and April 2003 (age 69 +/- 13 years, 53 males, 40 females). BNP level and QRS duration were measured after treatment for heart failure. The efficacy end point was the composite incidence of sudden death, death for progressive heart failure, or readmission for worsening heart failure.


RESULTS
During the mean follow-up period of 720 +/- 470 days, cardiac events occurred in 35 patients (sudden death in 6, death for progressive heart failure in 9, and readmission for worsening heart failure in 20). BNP level was almost equally higher in the three groups with cardiac events (mean +/- SEM; sudden death: 348 +/- 128 pg/ml, death for progressive heart failure: 390 +/- 97 pg/ml, readmission for worsening heart failure: 354 +/- 79 pg/ml) than in patients without cardiac events (213 +/- 34 pg/ml). In contrast, QRS duration was exclusively prolonged in patients with sudden death(mean +/- SEM, 125 +/- 10 msec) compared with the remaining three groups (death for progressive heart failure: 100 +/- 5 msec, readmission for worsening heart failure: 103 +/- 4 msec, no cardiac events: 108 +/- 3 msec). No relationship was found between BNP level and QRS duration in all patients with heart failure (Spearman r = 0.13, p = 0.22).


CONCLUSIONS
Increased BNP level was associated with poor prognosis irrespective of mode of cardiac events, and prolonged QRS duration was related to sudden death in our cohort with heart failure. The combination of BNP level and QRS duration may have adjunctive value in predicting the prognosis in patients with heart failure.
Taniguchi
Takuya
T
Department of Cardiology, Matsushita Memorial Hospital, Osaka. cytokine@nike.eonet.ne.jp
Kawasaki
Tatsuya
T
Miyai
Nobuyuki
N
Kamitani
Tadaaki
T
Kawasaki
Shingo
S
Sugihara
Hiroki
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies
D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain