In-hospital mortality is associated with high NT-proBNP level

ObjectiveTo compare in-hospital mortality in unselected adult patients according to N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels.MethodRetrospective study including 3833 adult patients (median age 72 years, 45% women) hospitalized between January 2013 and April 2015 in a Swiss university hospital, with at least one NT-proBNP level measurement during hospitalization. Patients were categorized in quintiles regarding their highest NT-proBNP level. In-hospital mortality and length of stay (LOS) were compared between the highest and the other quintiles.ResultsIn-hospital mortality rate and LOS (average±standard deviation) were higher in the fifth quintile than in the others (6.5% vs 20.3%, and 20.8±24.0 vs. 14.9±26.5 days respectively, both pConclusionPatients with high levels of NT-proBNP are at higher risk of in-hospital mortality and longer LOS, regardless of their clinical characteristics. NT-proBNP level can be a helpful tool for predicting in-hospital patient outcome in unselected adult patients.