B-type natriuretic peptide and long-term survival in patients with stable coronary artery disease

Circulating B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a strong predictor of survival in patients with acute coronary syndromes and in patients with congestive heart failure. Whether circulating BNP levels are predictive of long-term survival in patients with angiographically documented, clinically stable coronary artery disease is unknown. We studied 186 patients with stable angina pectoris and angiographic evidence of significant coronary artery disease. Patients with a recent myocardial infarction, electrocardiographic evidence of ongoing ischemia, anginal pain at rest, or symptomatic congestive heart failure were excluded from the study. During a follow-up of 7.4 years, 23 patients died. By Cox proportional-hazards regression, patient age (p = 0.031), pathologic Q waves on the electrocardiogram (p = 0.037), left ventricular ejection fraction (p = 0.016), and plasma BNP (p = 0.008) were significantly associated with long-term survival. In a stepwise forward multivariate model, BNP (p = 0.005) provided prognostic information above and beyond conventional risk markers. In patients with clinically stable, angiographically documented coronary artery disease, plasma BNP levels are independently related to long-term survival.