Association and risk of blood urea nitrogen-to-creatinine ratio with congestive heart failure in critically ill COPD patients.

Summary: People with severe lung disease (called COPD) often end up in the intensive care unit. Doctors want to know who is most at risk of developing heart failure while they are in the hospital. A simple blood test that checks the ratio of two waste products—BUN and creatinine—can help. This study looked at over 2,800 patients and found that those with a high ratio had a much greater chance of getting heart failure and dying in the hospital. This risk was even worse for patients who also had diabetes. This means doctors can use this simple blood test to spot high-risk patients early and give them better care.