title: The use of B-type natriuretic peptide in the diagnosis of acute dyspnoea.
abstract: B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and NT-proBNP are currently the most prominent members of the natriuretic peptide family. These markers are secreted from both the left and the right cardiac ventricle in response to ventricular volume expansion and pressure overload. Recent studies have suggested that these neurohormones are reliably elevated in the setting of congestive heart failure and may be very helpful in its diagnosis. The use of rapid BNP testing in addition to clinical judgement increased the accuracy of the clinical evaluation. The B-Type Natriuretic Peptide for Acute Shortness of Breath Evaluation (BASEL) study showed that the increase in accuracy offered by rapid BNP testing resulted in a significant reduction of hospitalisations, use of intensive care, time to discharge and initial treatment cost.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Basel, Switzerland. chmueller@uhbs.ch
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laule-Kilian
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Christ
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Staub
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015510:Clinical Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain