NT-proBNP for risk stratification of pulmonary embolism

INTRODUCTION:Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an entity with high mortality and morbidity, in which risk stratification for adverse events is essential. N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a right ventricular dysfunction marker, may be useful in assessing the short-term prognosis of patients with PE. AIMS:To characterize a sample of patients hospitalized with PE according to NT-proBNP level at hospital admission and to assess the impact of this biomarker on short-term evolution. METHODS:We performed a retrospective analysis of consecutive patients admitted with PE over a period of 3.5 years. Based on the median NT-proBNP at hospital admission, patients were divided into two groups (Group 1: NT-proBNPMore