NT-proBNP and postoperative heart failure in surgery for aortic stenosis

Objective Postoperative heart failure (PHF) after aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic stenosis (AS) may initially appear mild and transient but has serious long-term consequences. Methods to assess PHF are not well documented. We studied the association between N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and PHF after AVR for AS.Methods This is a prospective, observational, longitudinal study of 203 patients undergoing elective first-time AVR for AS. Plasma NT-proBNP was assessed at preoperative evaluation, the day before surgery, and the first (POD1) and third postoperative morning. A clinical endpoints committee, blinded to NT-proBNP results, used prespecified haemodynamic criteria to diagnose PHF. The mean follow-up was 8.6±1.1 years.Results No patient with PHF (n=18) died within 30 days after surgery, but PHF was associated with poor long-term survival (HR 3.01, 95% CI 1.45 to 6.21, p=0.003). NT-proBNP was significantly higher in patients with PHF only on POD1 (6415 (3145–11 220) vs 2445 (1540–3855) ng/L, p