C18 - Prospective Validation of a Quantitative Point-of-Care NT-proBNP Assay for Screening Doberman Pinschers

Background - N-terminal pro-Brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is useful in identifying Doberman Pinschers with echocardiographic evidence of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). An independently validated, quantitative point-of-care (POC) NT-proBNP assay (Vcheck, BioNote USA Inc) is now commercially available and uses fresh serum, eliminating the need for specialized sample processing and shipping.

Hypothesis/Objectives – The purpose of this study was to prospectively screen a cohort of adult Dobermans for DCM using the Vcheck NT-proBNP assay, echocardiography, and 3-minute electrocardiography.

Animals – One hundred and twenty-seven adult Doberman Pinschers were screened.

Methods – Tests performed included physical examination, transthoracic echocardiography with simultaneous 3-lead electrocardiography, and quantitative NT-proBNP levels using the Vcheck assay (detection range of 500 – 10,000 pmol/L).

Results – Population median age was 5 years (2-12 years), and there were 74 females and 53 males. Diagnoses included normal (n = 103), DCM (n = 13), Equivocal/VPC only (n = 5), and MMVD (n= 6). Median (range) NT-proBNP for normal = 499 pmol/L (499-1585) and DCM = 900 pmol/L (511-2604) P = 0.001. A cutoff of > 509 pmol/L = 100% sensitivity and 55% specificity, the highest Youden Index was for > 615 pmol/L = 85% sensitivity and 81% specificity. To achieve a 95% specificity a cutoff of > 892 pmol/L was needed however this yielded a sensitivity of 46%.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance – This study indicates that quantitative NT-proBNP using a novel POC analyzer is useful as a screening test to detect DCM in Doberman Pinschers and compares favorably with previous studies.