A-type and B-type natriuretic peptides in cardiac surgical procedures

This study was performed to determine the secretion pattern and prognostic value of A-type (ANP) and B-type (BNP) natriuretic peptide in patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures. We measured ANP and BNP in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) with (n = 28) or without (n = 32) ventricular dysfunction and in patients undergoing mitral (n = 21) or aortic (n = 24) valve replacement, respectively. Postoperative mortality was recorded up to 730 days after operation. ANP, but not BNP, concentrations were closely associated with volume reloading of the heart after aortic cross-clamp in all patients. The secretion pattern of BNP during surgery was much less uniform. BNP, but not ANP, concentrations correlated with aortic cross-clamp time (r(2) = 0.32; P = 0.006) and Postoperative troponin I concentrations (r(2) = 0.22; P = 0.0009) in bypass patients, and preoperative BNP increases were associated with a more frequent postoperative (2-yr) mortality in these patients. Markedly increased preoperative BNP concentrations in mitral (3-fold) and aortic (14-fold) valve disease patients did not further increase during cardiopulmonary surgery. The data suggest that ANP is primarily influenced by intravascular volume reloading of the heart after cross-clamp, whereas the secretion of BNP is related to other factors, such as duration of ischemia and long-term left ventricular pressure and/or excessive intravascular volume. BNP, but not ANP, was shown to be a mortality risk predictor in patients undergoing CABG.