N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide levels in patients with anomalous left coronary artery from pulmonary artery

INTRODUCTION: N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-pro-BNP) is used as an important biomarker for heart failure in children and adults. Previous researches have shown the value of NT-pro-BNP in various congenital heart defects (CHD). However, the level of NT-pro-BNP in patients with anomalous left coronary artery from the pulmonary artery (ALCAPA) has not been determined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plasma NT-pro-BNP was measured in 23 patients diagnosed with ALCAPA before operation. Echocardiogram was also recorded for each patient. RESULTS: Patients with NT-pro-BNP above 300 pg/mL showed a statistically significant decrease in LVEF (p < 0.0001) and in age (p < 0.0001) compared to patients with NT-pro-BNP below 300 pg/mL. Age (r = 0.399, p = 0.012) and LVEF (r = 0.403, p = 0.011) showed a statistically significant correlation with NT-pro-BNP in linear regression when NT-pro-BNP more than 300 pg/mL. A negative correlation was shown between NT-pro-BNP and LVEF (r = 0.570, p < 0.0001) in all the patients. No significant correlation was observed between mitral regurgitation (MR) grade and NT-pro-BNP in a Spearman correlation test (r = 0.383; P = 0.071). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with ALCAPA, NT-pro-BNP levels showed a negative correlation with age and LVEF when NT-pro-BNP above 300 pg/mL and no correlation with age and LVEF when NT-pro-BNP under 300 pg/ml. Further studies are needed to determine whether there is a correlation between MR grade and NT-pro-BNP levels.