RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: We hypothesized that pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (proBNP) levels in venous blood increase in patients with acute out-of-hospital heart failure because of stress during emergency ambulance transportation, and furthermore, we wanted to show if there is an effect of increasing proBNP levels on hemodynamic parameters. METHODS: Venous proBNP levels, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and anxiety before and after transportation, heart rate, blood pressure, and transcutaneous Spo(2) were measured every 3 minutes in 32 patients with defined clinical signs of heart failure. RESULTS: ProBNP levels increased significantly (P < .01) during transportation (278.13 +/- 113.20 vs 984.67 +/- 627.33 pg/mL), whereas heart rate and mean blood pressure remained almost stable. There was no significant change in VAS for pain and anxiety (3.79 +/- 3.70 and 2.89 +/- 3.01 vs 2.13 +/- 3.30 and 1.57 +/- 2.78). CONCLUSION: A rapid increase in proBNP levels was shown in patients with acute out-of-hospital heart failure during emergency ambulance transportation but no significant changes in hemodynamic parameters.