title: Association of pulmonary artery obstruction index with elevated heart-type fatty acid binding protein and short-term mortality in patients with pulmonary embolism at intermediate risk.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) is a sensitive marker of myocardial injury and predictor of worse prognosis in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Assessment of right ventricular dysfunction and pulmonary artery obstruction index (PAOI) with computed tomography (CT) has been reported as a predictor of mortality in PE. Therefore, we aimed to assess the correlation between H-FABP and CT angiographic PAOI in PE patients at intermediate risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-one patients (28 males; mean age, 62 ± 17 years) with diagnosis of PE were included in this study. CT was performed in all patients, and the following parameters were evaluated: right ventricle/left ventricle ratio (RV/LV), pulmonary artery axial diameter, superior vena cava axial diameter, and PAOI determined with Qanadli score. Blood samples were assessed for H-FABP and troponin levels. Patients were followed for 30 days after discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean PAOI was 57 ± 18%. Eleven patients died during the follow-up period due to PE (18% mortality rate). H-FABP was positive in 21 patients (35%). There was no difference in CT parameters between patients with positive H-FABP and negative H-FABP. In addition, CT parameters were similar between patients who survived and those who did not. RV/LV ratio correlated with PAOI score. Among the biomarkers, troponin levels correlated with both RV/LV ratio and PAOI. H-FABP was an independent predictor of mortality. PAOI and RV/LV ratio did not predict 30-day mortality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although H-FABP positivity confers a bad prognosis on PE patients at intermediate risk, PAOI did not predict mortality in this group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Konya University Meram School of Medicine, Konya, Turkey. elvin_salamov@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Enes Elvin
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Ilknur
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Can
authors.forename: Ibrahim
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Guler
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yesildag
authors.forename: Turyan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abdulhalikov
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kayrak
authors.forename: Kurtulus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gok
mesh_terms: D001157:Arterial Occlusive Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000401:mortality*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality*; D012306:Risk; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000379:methods; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D050556:Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins