Authors' objectives:

The most commonly discussed natriuretic peptide in the literature is B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) which is the subject of this assessment. Through the measurement of plasma levels, BNP is proposed to provide additional discriminatory information in terms of the detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring of congestive heart failure (CHF).

Authors' recommendations: With regard to B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) for the screening, diagnosis and monitoring of congestive heart failure (CHF), the ICSI Technology Assessment Committee concludes: 1) The BNP test is safe, requiring only a routine venipuncture. 2) There are no data to support the use of BNP in the general screening of asymptomatic populations for CHF, and thus BNP testing should not be used for this purpose. 3) BNP measurements are useful as an adjunct to other clinical tools for differentiating cardiac (CHF) causes from other causes of dyspnea presenting in the emergency department or urgent care setting. In particular, the diagnosis of CHF is highly unlikely in patients with normal BNP levels. Care should be taken when measuring BNP within 2 to 4 hours after the onset of acute symptoms as false negatives may occur (Conclusion Grade II). 4) The utility of BNP as a tool to optimize management of heart failure or measure treatment response has yet to be defined. Serial testing of BNP levels has not been shown to have clinical utility.

Authors' methods: Review

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.icsi.org/knowledge/detail.asp?catID=107&itemID=2251

Year Published: 2005

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: United States

Organisation Name: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement

Contact Address: 8009 34th Avenue South, Suite 1200, Bloomington, MN, USA. Tel: +1 952 814 7060; Fax: +1 952 858 9675

Contact Name: icsi.info@icsi.org

Contact Email: icsi.info@icsi.org

Copyright: Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI)