Prognostic role of brain natriuretic peptide in children of the first year of life with congenital heart defects: a prospective cohort study

Background . Congenital heart defects (CHD) are the most common type of developmental anomalies in children. At present the early diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) and CHF-associated pathologic conditions is becoming increasingly important for optimization of protocols for following up pediatric patients in the primary health care settings. Objective . The study aimed at determining the prognostic role of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a diagnostic marker of CHF progression and development of CHF-associated pathological conditions in babies with CHD during the first year of life. Methods . A prospective cohort study was carried out in a total of 114 children of the first year of life. The main study group was comprised of 61 children with confirmed diagnosis of CHD, and the control group of 53 health status group I–IIA children without CHD. Results . Diagnostic role of BNP elevation > 30 pg/mL was determined. At this BNP level the risk for developing stage 2A CHF increased 7-fold (OR 7.5 [1.8–31.5]), for developing functional class (FC) 2 CHF — nearly 5-fold (OR 4.6 [1.3–16.0]), and for FC 3 CHF such risk increased 9-fold (OR 9.2 [2.3–36.1]). Our results demonstrated that the BNP level measurements can be used in clinical practice to determine the likelihood of persistence of symptoms of perinatal CNS injuries during the first year of life (OR 7.6 [1.7–34.5]) and protein and energy deficit (PED) (OR 9.5 [2.5–35.5]) in children with CHD.