Usefulness of early diastolic mitral annular velocity to predict plasma levels of brain natriuretic peptide and transient heart failure development after device closure of atrial septal defect.

Device closure of atrial septal defect (ASD) is sometimes followed by elevation of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), a marker of heart failure, and progression to heart failure. This study tested the hypothesis that the underlying diastolic dysfunction, assessed on tissue Doppler images (TDI) before device closure, can predict BNP level after ASD closure. The study subjects were 39 consecutive patients (age 27.