tion of patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) predicted mortality, 10,11 whereas other reports indicated that NP concentrations during shortterm follow-up after AMI were more predictive than those at baseline. 12,13 In addition, acute HF often develops during hospitalization for AMI, 14 but its prognostic value in combination with NP concentrations is uncertain. 3,15 Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of elevated NP concentrations on admission and at the shortterm follow-up, and in-hospital HF events, individually and in combination, on clinical outcomes after discharge in patients with AMI.
Methods
Study PopulationThis was a retrospective, observational, bicenter study. [16][17][18][19][20][21] Between January 2012 and March 2020, 1,102 AMI patients I schemic heart disease, such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is a major underlying pathogenic factor in heart failure (HF), accounting for approximately 50% of cases in the current era, 1,2 and HF event is a strong predictor of worse outcomes among patients with AMI. 3,4 B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) are natriuretic peptides (NPs) secreted by the cardiac ventricles in response to end-diastolic pressure and volume, 5 and are widely used as diagnostic biomarkers for HF in clinical practice. 6 Elevated NP concentrations are associated with an increased risk of death and HF in patients with AMI, 5,7 and thus recent guidelines recommend measurement of NPs to gain prognostic information in patients with AMI. 8 However, the trajectory in BNP and NT-proBNP concentrations varies widely among patients, and the appropriate timing for NPs evaluation after AMI remains unclear. 9 For example, early studies demonstrated that the BNP concentration at the time of initial presenta-