Abstract
Background and aims: We aimed to analyze the correlation of
urinary with serum NT-proBNP concentrations in acute bronchiolitis and
its association with the severity of the disease. Material
and Methods: A pilot observational study conducted between 1st October
and 31st March 2022, including acute bronchiolitis cases who attended
our institution. Serum and urinary NT-proBNP concentrations were
determined using the Alere NT-proBNP assay in time-matched urine and
blood samples. We explored the linear relationship between both
concentrations and compared clinical outcomes indicative of severe acute
bronchiolitis between groups of raised and normal urinary NT-proBNP.
Results: 17 infants (median age 68 (36-91) days) with
36 time-matched samples were included. The urinary and serum
concentrations of NT-proBNP were significantly correlated with
(r=0.867 & R-squared coefficient=0.751;
p<0.001). The log-10-transformed urinary
NT-proBNP concentrations were higher at the time of hospital admission
in those infants that required PICU admission with ventilatory
support compared with those without this outcome (1.85 (1.16-2.44) pg/mg
vs 0.63 (0.45-0.84) pg/mg);
p<0.001); and resulted positively and strongly correlated with
the duration of the ventilatory support (rho=0.76; p<0.001)
and the LOS hospitalization (rho=0.84; p<0.001)
Conclusion: The measurement of urinary NT-proBNP concentrations
could be a reliable surrogate for serum NT-proBNP levels highlighting
the potential value of the urinary NT-proBNP as a non-invasive tool to
assess severity in acute bronchiolitis.