B‐Type Natriuretic Peptide: a New Tool in the Armamentarium Used to Accurately Diagnose Heart Failure

Abstract

Nearly 5 million Americans have heart failure (HF). Making a correct diagnosis early is an important component in the multifaceted approach to detection and/or treatment of this disease. The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved a point-of-care B-type natriuretic peptide assay to be used in the diagnosis of HF. Nesiritide, a synthetic B-type natriuretic peptide, was also approved for use in decompensated HF. B-type natriuretic peptide is released from the cardiac ventricles in response to increased left ventricular volume and/or pressure. This article reviews the nature of this peptide and its potential as a screening tool for HF. It will also present evidence defining the role of B-type natriuretic peptide in the differential diagnosis of dyspnea, prognosis after cardiac events, and in monitoring HF drug therapy.

Relationship between B-type natriuretic peptide serum level, echocardiographic TEI index and the degree of diastolic dysfunction in patients with heart failure with preserved systolic function

“…A correlation between BNP serum level and NYHA functional class was also documented by Caboral et al . The authors also indicated the possibility for monitoring results of ambulatory treatment of HF patients by means of BNP determination, since it seems to be a more objective indicator of clinical state than NYHA classification [22]. …”