Evaluation of the diagnostic value of brain natriuretic peptide for detection of left ventricular systolic dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract

Background: One of the most critical health concerns of our day is acute deterioration of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Detecting concurrent heart illness in these individuals might be challenging.
Objective: Aims of this study were determining the diagnostic value of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in the identification of acute COPD exacerbations (AECOPD) that were linked with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension. Methods: a prospective study of 100 patients with acute COPD exacerbations was done. All research participants were subjected to history taking, clinical examination, laboratory testing, blood gas analysis, echocardiography, and NT-pro BNP plasma level estimation.
Results: Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for BNP as a diagnostic for LV systolic dysfunction showed that area under the curve (AUC) was 0.923 at cut off point of 72.1 ng/ml with sensitivity of 93.3% and specificity of 84.6% (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Heart failure is confirmed when the average natriuretic (NT)-BNP level in the left ventricle during AECOPD is higher than normal, which should prompt quick treatment for both conditions.