Plasma neurohormone levels correlate with left ventricular functional and morphological improvement in LVAD patients.

Objective: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) have been shown to be markers of left ventricular (LV) function. To determine the feasibility of using serial assays of these neurohormones in the assessment of cardiac status in the left ventricular assist device (LVAD) setting, we examined the relationship between LV function, myocardial morphology, and plasma levels of these hormones in LVAD recipients.

Methods: Plasma BNP and ET-1 levels were serially assayed in 19 end-stage congestive heart failure (CHF) patients before and after LVAD implantation with various devices (i.