[Comparative value of B-type natriuretic peptide and serum albumin concentration in the prediction of in-hospital mortality in elderly patients admitted for acute severe heart failure].
OBJECTIVE
To address the clinical relevance of serum albumin and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) concentration in the prediction of in-hospital death in elderly patients with acute severe heart failure.


METHODS
Seventy-four consecutive patients >70 years of age admitted for acute heart failure in NYHA class IV were prospectively included. BNP concentration was measured on admission and serum albumin concentration after clinical stabilization.


RESULTS
Mean age was 86.6+/-5.7 years. Sixty-five percent of patients had a normal left ventricular ejection fraction. Eighteen patients died during the in-hospital stay. Those patients who died were older, had higher blood urea nitrogen and BNP concentration, had lower systolic blood pressure and serum albumin concentration than patients who survived. Heart rate, rhythm, left ventricular ejection fraction, serum creatinine and hemoglobin did not differ according to outcome. By multivariate analysis, albumin (p=0.0017), BNP (p=0.016) and age (p=0.03) were independent predictors of in-hospital death. Serum troponin I measured on admission in 71 patients was predictive of in-hospital death (p=0.01), as well as serum total cholesterol measured after stabilization in 66 patients (p=0.004). However, these two variables no longer predicted outcome in multivariate models, unlike serum albumin and BNP.


CONCLUSIONS
Serum albumin and BNP offer independent, additional information for the prediction of in-hospital death in elderly patient with acute severe heart failure regardless of left ventricular ejection fraction.
Arques
S
S
Service de Cardiologie, Centre Hospitalier d'Aubagne, Aubagne, France. sarques@ch-aubagne.fr
Pieri
B
B
Biegle
G
G
Roux
E
E
Gelisse
R
R
Jauffret
B
B
D000208:Acute Disease; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality*; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D012709:Serum Albumin; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain