ST2 has diagnostic and prognostic utility for all-cause mortality and heart failure in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain

Abstract

Background: Elevated ST2 predicts future heart failure and/or death in patients with pulmonary diseases, heart failure, acute dyspnea, and acute coronary syndromes. This study assesses both diagnostic and prognostic utility of ST2 in patients with chest pain.

Methods and results: From November 2007 to April 2010, 995 patients attending the Emergency Department with chest pain were prospectively recruited. Troponin I (TnI), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), creatine kinase-myocardial band (CKMB), myoglobin, and ST2 were measured at 0 and 2 hours. The diagnostic utility of ST2 for heart failure and prognostic utility for primary outcome of death and/or heart failure by 18 months was assessed. Elevated ST2 had sensitivity 73.5% (55.8%-86.4%) and specificity 79.6% (79.0%-80.1%) for acute heart failure (n = 34) [compared with BNP sensitivity 88.2% (73.6%-95.3%), specificity 66.2% (65.7%-66.4%)]. Elevated ST2 conveyed risk of 18-month primary outcome (n = 110), with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.9 (1.2-3.2), compared with BNP HR 2.8 (1.4-5.7), myoglobin HR 1.9 (1.1-3.3), TnI HR 1.7 (1.0-2.7), and CKMB HR 0.9 (0.5-1.7). When ST2 and BNP were both elevated, risk was greater than if either marker was elevated in isolation (P < .001).

Conclusions: ST2 was more specific for acute heart failure than BNP. ST2 is independently predictive of future death and/or heart failure and has incremental utility in combination with BNP.