N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide: a useful tool for the detection of acute pulmonary artery embolism in post-surgical patients

Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is an important clinical problem in patients after major surgery and often remains a difficult diagnosis because of unspecific clinical symptoms. Therefore, we investigated the role of N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) for the detection of APE. In 44 patients with suspected APE referred to the intensive care unit after major surgery, serum NT-proBNP, troponin-I, and D-dimers were measured according to the standard hospital protocol. To definitively confirm or exclude APE, all patients underwent an angiographic CT scan of the thorax. APE was confirmed in 28 and excluded in 16 patients by CT scan. NT-proBNP was significantly (P