Study: B-type Natriuretic Peptide Levels Predict Outcomes in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients

Rachel Fields -

Research published in the April 2011 issue of Anesthesiology examines whether the hormone plasma B-type natriuretic peptide helps indicate which patients are at risk of adverse cardiac events after coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

BNP is secreted primarily by the muscle cells of the pumping chambers in the heart in response to increased stress. Elevated levels of BNP during the first several days after CABG surgery is known to be associated with increased mortality, but no research had been conducted into whether BNP was also associated with poorer long-term physical function.

The researchers administered a multi-purpose health survey to 845 eligible CABG surgery patients at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. The surveys were distributed pre- and post-operatively and focused on patients' overall physical and emotional health, including daily activities, exercise and pain levels.

The study found that increased levels of postoperative BNP were significantly associated with poor physical function six months to two years after surgery.

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