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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cardiovasc. Med.

Sec. Pediatric Cardiology

Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1522603

Correlation Between Pulmonary to Systemic Flow Ratio and N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Level in Children with Atrial Septal Defect

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Doctoral Program in Translational Medicine, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
  • 2 Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
  • 3 Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children’s Medical Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
  • 4 Department of Life Sciences, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Atrial septal defect (ASD) increases pulmonary to systemic flow ratio (Qp/Qs) which is an important determinant factor for treatment. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels are correlated with volume overloading of the heart. This study aims to explore the relationship between Qp/Qs and NT-proBNP levels in children with ASD.Between Jan 2010 and Dec 2023, 464 patients under 20 years old with ASD who underwent cardiac catheterization and received NT-proBNP test were enrolled retrospectively. Baseline characteristics such as sex, body weight, and age were recorded. Qp/Qs was measured during standardized right heart catheterization according to Fick principle.A significant positive correlation existed between NT-proBNP and Qp/Qs (R = 0.507, P < 0.001), with an R² of 0.258. The linear regression model indicates that a one-unit (pg/mL) increase in NT-proBNP corresponded to a 0.003-unit increase in Qp/Qs (P < 0.001). Patients with a Qp/Qs ratio ≥2 had significantly higher NT-proBNP levels than those with a ratio < 2 (P < 0.001).This study, the largest cohort to date, reveals the correlation between non-invasive NT-proBNP level and invasive Qp/Qs measurement in children with ASD.

    Keywords: Atrial septal defect, N-terminal Pro-B-type natriuretic Peptide, Pulmonary to systemic flow ratio, Chidren, congenital heart disaese

    Received: 04 Nov 2024; Accepted: 27 Feb 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Liao, Chen, Fu and Hung. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Yun-Ching Fu, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children’s Medical Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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