B-type natriuretic peptide/ferritin ratio as a predictor of the risk of developing acute renal injury in acute decompensated heart failure.

Objectives: Acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) is a clinical condition that requires urgent diagnosis and treatment. Patients present with pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, pulmonary arterial pressure, and venous pressure elevation. Along with the progressive deterioration observed in the clinical picture, impairment or deterioration of kidney function may also occur. In this study, we evaluated the B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP)/ferritin ratio as a predictor of the risk of developing acute renal injury (ARI) in ADHF.

Methods: A total of 157 patients with a diagnosis of ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy for more than 6 months that presented to our clinic with ADHF were included in this cohort study. After the treatment protocol was applied, the sample was divided into two groups as patients with and without ARI. The BNP and ferritin levels were examined along with the routine blood parameters (BNP), and the BNP, ferritin, and BNP/ferritin values were compared between the groups.

Results: ARI was present in 34.3% ( = 54) of the patients, who were also found to have higher BNP (892.76 vs. 817.54), lower ferritin (86.78 ± 57.2 vs. 105.46 ± 38.3), and higher BNP/ferritin (10.48 ± 2.14 vs. 7.89 ± 1.89). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the BNP/ferritin ratio as an independent risk factor for ARI (odds ratio = 3.19; 95% CI, 1.92-6.54; = 0.001). Using the receiver operating characteristic curve, a cutoff value of 9.32 for BNP/ferritin ratio had a sensitivity of 81.8% and a specificity of 93.5% (area under the curve 0.842, < 0.001) for the prediction of ARI.

Conclusion: The BNP/ferritin ratio is a new parameter that can be used to draw attention to the severity of the treatment and renal function in ADHF cases in emergency situations.