Insights into the change in brain natriuretic peptide after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI): why should it be better than baseline?

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of BNP (Nesiritide), published as a randomized controlled trial.

While baseline N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is useful in the prognosis of acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), it is unclear whether a relationship exists between serial NT-proBNP, reperfusion success, and prognosis.

The researchers prospectively defined a NT-proBNP analysis in the WEST (Which Early ST-elevation myocardial infarction Therapy) trial that enrolled 304 acute STEMI patients.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 304 patients taking part.

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults and older adults, both men and women.

Reperfusion success was measured by ST-segment resolution at 180 min, infarct size by peak creatine kinase (CK) during the first 24 h, and QRS score at discharge (QRSd).

How the Study Was Run

The researchers set it up as a randomized study.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the BNP (Nesiritide) group and the comparison group should start out alike.

What Was Measured

The primary endpoint was a 30 day clinical composite.

The ability of either baseline NT-proBNP or Delta NT-proBNP to predict the primary endpoint was compared using single-variable logistic regression and the c-statistic.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary, Biomarkers, C-Reactive Protein, Coronary Circulation, Fibrinolytic Agents, Myocardial Infarction and Myocardial Reperfusion.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of BNP (Nesiritide) in 304 patients.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

The publication is from 2007 (Canadian journal of physiology and pharmacology), a journal based in Canada.

More context: the BNP (Nesiritide) compound page, all human trials.