Development of a Nomogram for Moderate-to-Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia or Death: Role of N-Terminal Pro-brain Natriuretic Peptide as a Biomarker

N-Terminal Pro-B Type Natriuretic Peptide as a Predictive Biomarker of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia or Death Due to Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Preterm Neonates: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND

Emerging evidence suggests the clinical utility of N terminal pro B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in multiple cardiac and pulmonary abnormalities both in adult and pediatric populations. To date, however, there is no consensus regarding its efficacy for the prediction and severity of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in premature neonates. The objective of the present meta-analysis was to determine differences in NT-proBNP among neonates that develop BPD or die from BPD and to evaluate if there is relative information on the diagnostic accuracy of the method.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic search according to the PRISMA guidelines and looked into Medline (1966-2023), Scopus (2004-2023), Clinicaltrials.gov (2008-2023), EMBASE (1980-2023), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials CENTRAL (1999-2022) and Google Scholar (2004-2023) together with the reference lists from included studies. The potential risk of bias encountered in our study was evaluated using the QUADAS -2 tool. Finally, a total of 9 studies met the eligibility criteria, comprising 1319 newborns, from which 397 developed BPD and 922 were unaffected controls.

RESULTS

The results retrieved from our meta-analysis showed that newborns suffering from BPD had notably elevated NT-proBNP levels after birth when compared with healthy neonates (SMD 2.57, 95% CI 0.41, 4.72). The summary effect of the AUC meta-analysis showed that NT-proBNP was very accurate in detecting neonates at risk of developing severe BPD or dying from the disease (AUC -0.16, 95% CI -0.23, -0.08). No studies reported data relevant to the sensitivity and/or specificity of the method in diagnosing BPD.

CONCLUSION

Serum NT-proBNP levels represent a potential future biomarker with great diagnostic validity for the prediction of BPD complicating preterm deliveries. The limited amount of studies included and the significant variations in cutoff values and timing of measurement still restrict the application of NT-proBNP as an established clinical biomarker for BPD. The design of larger prospective studies will provide a more representative number of participants and will address the discrepancies in existing literature.

Prediction Models for Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in Preterm Infants: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To review systematically and assess the accuracy of prediction models for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) at 36 weeks of postmenstrual age.

STUDY DESIGN

Searches were conducted in MEDLINE and EMBASE. Studies published between 1990 and 2022 were included if they developed or validated a prediction model for BPD or the combined outcome death/BPD at 36 weeks in the first 14 days of life in infants born preterm. Data were extracted independently by 2 authors following the Critical Appraisal and Data Extraction for Systematic Reviews of Prediction Modelling Studies (ie, CHARMS) and PRISMA guidelines. Risk of bias was assessed using the Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool (ie, PROBAST).

RESULTS

Sixty-five studies were reviewed, including 158 development and 108 externally validated models. Median c-statistic of 0.84 (range 0.43-1.00) was reported at model development, and 0.77 (range 0.41-0.97) at external validation. All models were rated at high risk of bias, due to limitations in the analysis part. Meta-analysis of the validated models revealed increased c-statistics after the first week of life for both the BPD and death/BPD outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Although BPD prediction models perform satisfactorily, they were all at high risk of bias. Methodologic improvement and complete reporting are needed before they can be considered for use in clinical practice. Future research should aim to validate and update existing models.

A prediction nomogram for moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants < 32 weeks of gestation: A multicenter retrospective study

Background

Moderate-to-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (msBPD) is a serious complication in preterm infants. We aimed to develop a dynamic nomogram for early prediction of msBPD using perinatal factors in preterm infants born at <32 weeks' gestation.

Methods

This multicenter retrospective study conducted at three hospitals in China between January 2017 and December 2021 included data on preterm infants with gestational age (GA) < 32 weeks. All infants were randomly divided into training and validation cohorts (3:1 ratio). Variables were selected by Lasso regression. Multivariate logistic regression was used to build a dynamic nomogram to predict msBPD. The discrimination was verified by receiver operating characteristic curves. Hosmer-Lemeshow test and decision curve analysis (DCA) were used for evaluating calibration and clinical applicability.

Results

A total of 2,067 preterm infants. GA, Apgar 5-min score, small for gestational age (SGA), early onset sepsis, and duration of invasive ventilation were predictors for msBPD by Lasso regression. The area under the curve was 0.894 (95% CI 0.869-0.919) and 0.893 (95% CI 0.855-0.931) in training and validation cohorts. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test calculated P value of 0.059 showing a good fit of the nomogram. The DCA demonstrated significantly clinical benefit of the model in both cohorts. A dynamic nomogram predicting msBPD by perinatal days within postnatal day 7 is available at https://sdxxbxzz.shinyapps.io/BPDpredict/.

Conclusion

We assessed the perinatal predictors of msBPD in preterm infants with GA < 32 weeks and built a dynamic nomogram for early risk prediction, providing clinicians a visual tool for early identification of msBPD.

Correlation between urinary and serum NT-proBNP in acute bronchiolitis: A pilot study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

We aimed to analyze the correlation of urinary with serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations and its association with severity in acute bronchiolitis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A pilot observational study was conducted between October 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022 including acute bronchiolitis cases who attended our institution. Serum and urinary NT-proBNP concentrations were determined using the Alere i NT-proBNP assay in time-matched urine and blood samples. The Mann-Whitney U test, Spearman's correlations, and simple linear regression were utilized to analyze the association of urine NT-proBNP levels with serum NT-proBNP and with variables indicative of severe bronchiolitis.

RESULTS

Seventeen infants (median age 68 [IQR: 36-91] days) with 36 time-matched samples were included. The urine NT-proBNP was positively and strongly correlated with the serum NT-proBNP concentrations (Spearman's ρ = 0.81 & R2  coefficient = 0.751; p < 0.001), and increased with higher C-reactive protein, (p = 0.004), procalcitonin (p = 0.001), and pCO2 (p = 0.029) levels. The initial urinary NT-proBNP concentrations were higher in those infants that required ventilatory support compared with those without this outcome (1.85 [IQR: 1.16-2.44] vs. 0.63 [IQR: 0.45-0.84] pg/mg); p < 0.001); and resulted positively and strongly correlated with the duration of the ventilatory support (Spearman's ρ = 0.76; p < 0.001) and the length of stay hospitalization (Spearman's ρ = 0.84; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The urinary NT-proBNP concentrations could be a reliable surrogate for serum NT-proBNP levels and resulted elevated in cases of acute bronchiolitis with complicated evolution, suggesting a potential as a noninvasive tool to assess severity in this setting.

Risk prediction of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants by the nomogram model

Backgrounds and Aims

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) has serious immediate and long-term sequelae as well as morbidity and mortality. The objective of this study is to develop a predictive model of BPD for premature infants using clinical maternal and neonatal parameters.

Methods

This single-center retrospective study enrolled 237 cases of premature infants with gestational age less than 32 weeks. The research collected demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters. Univariate logistic regression analysis was carried out to screen the potential risk factors of BPD. Multivariate and LASSO logistic regression analysis was performed to further select variables for the establishment of nomogram models. The discrimination of the model was assessed by C-index. The Hosmer-Lemeshow test was used to assess the calibration of the model.

Results

Multivariate analysis identified maternal age, delivery option, neonatal weight and age, invasive ventilation, and hemoglobin as risk predictors. LASSO analysis selected delivery option, neonatal weight and age, invasive ventilation, hemoglobin and albumin as the risk predictors. Both multivariate (AUC = 0.9051; HL P = 0.6920; C-index = 0.910) and LASSO (AUC = 0.8935; HL P = 0.7796; C-index = 0.899) - based nomograms exhibited ideal discrimination and calibration as confirmed by validation dataset.

Conclusions

The probability of BPD in a premature infant could be effectively predicted by the nomogram model based on the clinical maternal and neonatal parameters. However, the model required external validation using larger samples from multiple medical centers.

Lung ultrasound score has better diagnostic ability than NT-proBNP to predict moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia

The N-terminal end of B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and lung ultrasound (LUS) score have been proven to be adequate early biomarkers of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants. Our aim was to study if the predictive capacity of each one is increased by analyzing them together. We included infants born before 32 weeks with NT-proBNP and LUS scores on the first day of life (DOL) and on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th DOL and compared the diagnostic ability for moderate-severe BPD (msBPD) of each biomarker and in combination. We also compared them with a multivariate model of msBPD using only clinical variables. The sample size was 133 patients, and twenty-seven (20%) developed msBPD. The LUS score on the 7th DOL had better performance than NT-proBNP at the same moment: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.83 (0.75-0.89) versus 0.66 (0.56-0.75), p = 0.003, without differences in the rest of the times studied. These values did not increase when using the combination of both. A multivariate regression model that included only clinical variables (birth weight and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) at the 7th DOL) predicted msBPD with the same AUC as after the addition of any of these biomarkers, neither together.

CONCLUSION

The LUS score is a better predictor of msBPD on the 7th DOL than NT-proBNP in preterm infants born before 32 weeks, although they have similar diagnostic accuracy on the 1st, 3rd, and 14th DOL. Neither of them, nor together, have a better AUC for msBPD than a clinical model with birthweight and the need for IMV at the 7th DOL.

WHAT IS KNOWN

• NT-proBNP and LUS score are early predictors of moderate-severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia (msBPD).

WHAT IS NEW

• The combination of both NT-proBNP and LUS score does not increase the predictive ability of each separately.

Urinary biomarkers for the early prediction of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants: A pilot study

BACKGROUND

This study investigated whether 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentrations in the urine could predict bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in preterm infants.

METHODS

This prospective cohort study enrolled 165 preterm infants, of whom 70 developed BPD. We measured urinary 8-OHdG and NT-proBNP concentrations from day of life (DOL) 7 to 28. Then, we evaluated the prediction efficiency by receiver operating characteristic curves and assessed correlations between the two biomarkers. Finally, we identified the predictive risk factors for BPD by multivariable logistic regression.

RESULTS

8-OHdG and NT-proBNP levels were significantly higher from DOL 7 to 28 in the BPD group than in the control group (P < 0.05). Additionally, the 8-OHdG level was positively correlated with the NT-proBNP level (r: 0.655-0.789, P < 0.001), and the 8-OHdG and NT-proBNP levels were positively correlated with mechanical ventilation duration and oxygen exposure time (r: 0.175-0.505, P < 0.05) from DOL 7 to 28. Furthermore, the 8-OHdG (DOL 14-28) and NT-proBNP (DOL 7-28) levels were significantly associated with BPD development (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The urine 8-OHdG concentrations from DOL 14 to 28 and NT-proBNP concentrations from DOL 7 to 28 may be practical non-invasive predictors of BPD development in preterm infants.