. The role of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide in the assessment of right ventricular dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism: Results from Serbian University Pulmonary Embolism Registry (Super)
Background: Right ventricular dysfunction (RVD) is a well-known predictor of early death in patients with acute pulmonary embolism and thus early identification of RVD is critical in the risk stratification or management of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Aim of this study was to investigate a useful role of cardiac biomarker NTproBNP for predicting echocardiographic right ventricular dysfunction in patients with acute pulmonary embolism. Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed in 195 consecutive adult patients with pulmonary embolism from the Serbian University Pulmonary Embolism Registry (SUPER 2015-2019) created by six university clinics: Military Medical Academy (Belgrade), Institute of Pulmonary Diseases (Sremska Kamenica), Clinical Center (Nis), University Clinic Zvezdara, Clinical Center (Kragujevac) and University Clinical Centre of Republic of Srpska (Banja Luka). All patients were divided into RVD group and non-RVD group according to whether there was increase in systolic pressure in right ventricle (>40mmHg) on echocardiography. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) assessing the risk factors for RVD were assessed by multivariate logistic regression. The ability of the NT proBNP in predicting the RVD was described by the Receiving Operating Curves analysis. Results: The mean age is a strong predictor of echocardiographic RVD in patients with PE. The simple measurements of this cardiac biomarker could be helpful in clinical decision-making or risk stratification in patients with PE.