title: Low prevalence of B-type natriuretic peptide levels < 100 pg/mL in patients with heart failure at hospital discharge.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In patients with acute heart failure (HF) presenting at the emergency department, a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level < 100 pg/mL was found in only 10% of the patients. However, in a more stable outpatient HF population from another study, a BNP level < 100 pg/mL was found in as many as 21% of the patients. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of stabilized patients with BNP levels < 100 pg/mL before discharge after admission for decompensated heart failure HF.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated 601 patients with HF who were part of a large-scale multicenter study in The Netherlands. All patients had been admitted for decompensated HF, and their BNP levels were measured before discharge when they had been clinically stabilized. Clinical characteristics of patients with BNP levels < 100 and > or = 100 pg/mL were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients were 70 +/- 12 years old, 61% were men, and mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 0.34 +/- 0.14. Of these patients, 10% had BNP levels < 100 pg/mL. Patients with a BNP level < 100 pg/mL were similar in age and sex but had higher left ventricular ejection fraction (0.41 +/- 0.14 vs 0.33 +/- 0.13, P < .001), body mass index, and hemoglobin and hematocrit concentrations compared with those with BNP levels > or = 100 pg/mL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In clinically stable patients with a recent admission for decompensated HF, only 10% had BNP levels > or = 100 pg/mL. These patients with low BNP levels seemed to have less severe HF and more frequently had preserved systolic function compared with patients with BNP levels > or = 100 pg/mL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. j.hogenhuis@thorax.umcg.nl
authors.forename: Jochem
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hogenhuis
authors.forename: Adriaan A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Voors
authors.forename: Tiny
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jaarsma
authors.forename: Hans L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Hillege
authors.forename: Arno W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Hoes
authors.forename: Dirk J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: van Veldhuisen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D010351:Patient Discharge; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013599:Systole
chemical_list: D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain