Efficacy of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide digit number for screening of cardiac disease in new haemodialysis patients

Aim The usefulness of the absolute N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP) concentration and its digit number for screening for cardiac disease was explored in new haemodialysis patients. Methods A cross-sectional study involving 71 (68 ± 14 years, 83% male) new dialysis patients was conducted. Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis was performed to identify the cutoff level of NT-proBNP for identifying cardiac disease at the start of dialysis. Results The median NT-proBNP concentration was 6576 pg/mL just before the first dialysis session and its mean digit number was 4.3 ± 0.6. Overall, 67%, 52%, 9% and 35% of patients had left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, LV dilatation, systolic dysfunction and significant coronary artery disease, respectively. NT-proBNP levels of about 6000, 10 000 and 14 000 pg/mL were the best cutoff levels for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease (AUC, 0.754; P