Publication

Use of B-type natriuretic peptide outside of the emergency department

Journal Paper/Review - Jun 23, 2008

Units
PubMed
Doi

Citation
Maeder M, Mueller C, Pfisterer M, Buser P, Brunner-La Rocca H. Use of B-type natriuretic peptide outside of the emergency department. International journal of cardiology 2008; 127:5-16.
Type
Journal Paper/Review (English)
Journal
International journal of cardiology 2008; 127
Publication Date
Jun 23, 2008
Issn Electronic
1874-1754
Pages
5-16
Brief description/objective

In contrast to their established role in the evaluation of acute dyspnea in emergency department (ED) patients, applications of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal-proBNP (NT-proBNP) in patients outside of the ED are less well defined. A PubMed-based electronic and hand search for articles dealing with BNP and NT-proBNP in settings other than the ED was performed. We found that currently available evidence is sufficient to support the use of BNP and NT-proBNP in four cardiovascular settings outside of the ED: i) evaluation of patients with suspected heart failure (HF) referred from primary care, ii) risk stratification in patients with HF, iii) risk stratification in stable coronary artery disease, and iv) risk stratification in pulmonary artery hypertension. Recent studies indicate that BNP and NT-proBNP might also be helpful in guiding therapy in patients with chronic HF. Despite active research in many additional fields, the use of BNP/NT-proBNP in other settings is not yet based on solid evidence and, therefore, seems not to be useful.