Abstract:OBJECTIVE: To study the correlation between the blood serum brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level and the left cardiac function in children with congenital heart disease (CHD). METHODS: The clinical data of 41 CHD children were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups based on the existence of congestive heart failure (CHF): CHD+CHF (n=21) and CHD alone (n=20). The blood serum BNP level was determined using chemiluminescence immunoassay, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measured with echocardiogram. RESULTS: The serum BNP level was 1353 pg/mL (range: 926-2978) in the CHD+CHF group, which was significantly higher than in the CHD alone group［149 pg/mL (range: 75-242)］(P<0.01). The LVEF was 60% (range: 53%-65%) in the CHD+CHF group, which was significantly lower than in the CHD alone group［68% (range: 64%-72%)］(P<0.01). The serum BNP level showed a negative correlation with the LVEF level (r=-0.652, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The blood serum BNP level is related to the cardiac function. For children with severe CHD+CHF, serum BNP level can be used as a sensitive indicator for evaluating cardiac function damage.
