Is perioperative pro-B-type natriuretic peptide a good tool to evaluate surgical risk in cardiac surgery?

Abstract

Background/Introduction Predicting major adverse events and death in patients undergoing cardiac surgery is based on clinical risk scores such as Euroscore. This score has a moderate power for discriminating morbidity. Natriuretic peptides are wellestablished biomarkers in numerous clinical settings, prognostic, diagnostic and treatment of cardiac failure. In cardiac surgical patients the role of natriuretic peptides as risk markers is less well delineated.