N terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide level and benefits of chronic total occlusion revascularization.

Background: The management of revascularization of chronic total occlusions (CTOs) remains controversial. Whether specific patients gain survival benefit from CTO revascularization remains unknown.

Objectives: We investigated whether (i) patients with CTO have higher N terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT pro-BNP) levels than patients without CTO, (ii) in patients with CTO, NT pro-BNP levels predict adverse events, and (iii) those with elevated levels benefit from revascularization.

Reduced congestion and improved response to a fluid/sodium challenge in chronic heart failure patients after initiation of sacubitril/valsartan: The NATRIUM-HF study.

Aims: The effects of initiating sacubitril/valsartan in patients with stable heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) on response to fluid and sodium expansion are unknown.

Methods And Results: We have explored changes in natriuresis, diuresis, and congestion in response to the administration of intravenous fluid/sodium load in patients with HFrEF before as compared to after the initiation of sacubitril/valsartan. At baseline (before sacubitril/valsartan initiation) and 2 and 3 months after the initiation, patients underwent an evaluation that consisted of three phases of 3 h: the rest phase (0-3 h), the load phase (3-6 h) in which 1 L of intravenous Ringer solution was administered, and the diuretic phase (6-9 h) at the beginning of which furosemide was administered.

A cost-effectiveness evaluation of a high-sensitivity troponin I guided voluntary cardiovascular risk assessment program for asymptomatic women in Croatia.

Background: To estimate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a high-sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) guided cardiovascular risk assessment program in women in Croatia.

Methods: An observational study of a voluntary program for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment in women aged above 45 years with no specific symptoms, no confirmed or known coronary artery disease was conducted (WHP). Participants were stratified into three categories according to their hsTnI level.

High sensitivity troponin I as a biomarker for cardiac allograft vasculopathy: Evaluation of diagnostic potential and clinical utility.

Introduction: Cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) limits long-term survival in heart transplant (HTx) recipients. The use of biomarkers in CAV surveillance has been studied, but none are used in clinical practice. The predictive value of high-sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI) has not been extensively investigated in HTx recipients.

NT-proBNP/cardiac troponin T ratio >7.5 on the second day of admission can differentiate Takotsubo from acute coronary syndrome with good accuracy.

Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is not usually diagnosed until patients with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and echocardiographically detected apical aneurysm are found to have "normal" coronary angiography (CA). Our aim was to explore whether cardiac biomarkers can contribute to the early diagnosis of TTS.

Methods: Ratios of N-terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (cTnT) both expressed in pg/mL [admission and the 3 following days] were compared in 38 patients with TTS and 114 ACS patients of whom 58 had non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI).