Prognostic Value of N-terminal Probrain Natriuretic Peptide for Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVES: The mortality rate of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is high. Hence, it is crucial to identify a reliable biomarker with wide clinical applications for predicting the prognosis of patients with ARDS. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the value of plasma N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for predicting mortality in patients with ARDS. METHODS: An electronic search of databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure was conducted up to May 31, 2019, without language restrictions. The quality of the included studies was evaluated using QUADAS-2. Data were extracted and analyzed to obtain pooled estimates of sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio. A forest graph was used to evaluate heterogeneity. Potential causes of heterogeneity were further explored by subgroup analysis based on the testing day, testing method, observation endpoint, or cut-off points. A summary receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn to obtain the pooled area under the curve. RESULTS: A total of 7 studies involving 581 patients with ARDS were included. The pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, and diagnostic odds ratio were as follows: 0.79 (95% CI: 0.72–0.84), 0.79 (95% CI: 0.66–0.88), 3.68 (95% CI: 2.16–6.28), 0.27 (95% CI: 0.20–0.38), and 13.58 (95% CI: 6.17–29.90), respectively. The results of subgroup analysis showed that the testing day influenced the summary sensitivity and that the cut-off points influenced the summary sensitivity and specificity. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that elevated plasma NT-proBNP levels have a moderate value for predicting the mortality of patients with ARDS.