BNP but Not s-cTnln Is Associated with Cardioembolic Aetiology and Predicts Short and Long Term Prognosis after Cerebrovascular Events

BackgroundWe analyzed the prognostic value of b-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and sensitive cardiac Troponin (s-cTnI) in patients with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) and their significance in predicting stroke aetiology.MethodsIn a prospectively enrolled cohort we measured BNP and s-cTnI levels upon admission. Primary endpoints were mortality, unfavorable functional outcome and stroke recurrence after 90 days and after 12 months. Secondary endpoint was cardioembolic aetiology.ResultsIn 441 patients BNP but not s-cTnI remained an independent predictor for death with an adjusted HR of 1.2 (95% CI 1.1–1.4) after 90 days and 1.2 (95% CI 1.0–1.3) after one year. The comparison of the Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) of model A (age, NIHSS) and model B (age, NIHSS, BNP) showed an improvement in the prediction of mortality (0.85 (95% CI 0.79–0.90) vs. 0.86 (95% CI 0.81–0.92), Log Rank p = 0.004). Furthermore the category free net reclassification improvement (cfNRI) when adding BNP to the multivariate model was 57.5%, pConclusionBNP is an independent prognostic maker for overall mortality in patients with ischemic stroke or TIA and may improve the diagnostic accuracy to identify cardioembolic aetiology.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT00390962