Prognostic Value of Urinary Neutrophil Gelatinase‐Associated Lipocalin on the First Day of Admission for Adverse Events in Patients With Acute Decompensated Heart Failure

BACKGROUND: Urinary neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (U‐NGAL) is an early predictor of acute kidney injury and adverse events in various diseases; however, in acute decompensated heart failure patients, its significance remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of U‐NGAL on the first day of admission for the occurrence of acute kidney injury and long‐term outcomes in acute decompensated heart failure patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied 260 acute decompensated heart failure patients admitted to our department between 2011 and 2014 by measuring U‐NGAL in 24‐hour urine samples collected on the first day of admission. Primary end points were all‐cause death, cardiovascular death, and heart failure admission. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to their median U‐NGAL levels (32.5 μg/gCr). The high‐U‐NGAL group had a significantly higher occurrence of acute kidney injury during hospitalization than the low‐U‐NGAL group (P=0.0012). Kaplan‐Meier analysis revealed that the high‐U‐NGAL group exhibited a worse prognosis than the low‐U‐NGAL group in all‐cause death (hazard ratio 2.07; 95%CI 1.38‐3.12, P=0.0004), cardiovascular death (hazard ratio 2.29; 95%CI 1.28‐4.24, P=0.0052), and heart failure admission (hazard ratio 1.77; 95%CI 1.13‐2.77, P=0.0119). The addition of U‐NGAL to the estimated glomerular filtration rate significantly improved the predictive accuracy of all‐cause mortality (P=0.0083). CONCLUSIONS: In acute decompensated heart failure patients, an elevated U‐NGAL level on the first day of admission was related to the development of clinical acute kidney injury and independently associated with poor prognosis.