Redefinition of BNP as a prognostic biomarker in intensive care at COVID-19 infection

Aim Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a global pandemic and increased mortality has forced researchers to identify prognostic factors to identify patients at higher risk of mortality. In this study, we aimed to investigate the usability of Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a predictor of mortality in critically ill patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit. Material and Method This retrospective study included 50 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and followed in the intensive care unit. Patients with known heart failure who were found to have heart failure on echocardiography during follow-up were excluded from the study. Results The patients were divided into two groups based on their mortality status during hospitalization in the intensive care unit. These groups were found to be statistically similar in terms of chronic disease, gender and age (p>0.05). Non-survivor group had higher levels of BNP at the admission to intensive care unit when compared to survivor group (93.2 pg/mL (43.5-357.3) vs. 62.9 (25.0-147.1), p=0.004, respectively). Regression analysis revealed that higher BNP levels and lower lymphocyte counts can be used as a predictor of mortality for these patients. ROC curve analysis indicated that best cut-off value for predicting in-hospital death for BNP was 85.6 pg/mL with a sensitivity of 73.1% and a specificity of 70.8%. Conclusions High BNP levels at admission to the intensive care unit can be used as an in-hospital mortality indicator in COVID-19 patients followed up in the intensive care unit.