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Monitoring the response to pharmacologic therapy in patients with stable chronic heart failure: is BNP or NT-proBNP a useful assessment tool?
Clin Biochem. 2008 Mar;41(4-5):266-76
Authors: Balion CM, McKelvie RS, Reichert S, Santaguida P, Booker L, Worster A, Raina P, McQueen MJ, Hill S
OBJECTIVES: B-type natriuretic peptides are biomarkers of heart failure (HF) that can decrease following treatment. We sought to determine whether B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) or N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) concentration changes occurred in parallel to changes in other measures of heart failure following treatment. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the literature for studies that assessed B-type natriuretic peptide measurements in treatment monitoring of patients with stable chronic heart failure. Selected studies had to include at least three consecutive measurements of BNP or NT-proBNP. RESULTS: Of 4338 citations screened, only 12 met all of the selection criteria. The selected studies included populations with a wide range of heart failure severity and therapy. BNP and NT-proBNP decreased following treatment in nine studies and was associated with improvement in clinical measures of HF. CONCLUSIONS: There was limited data to support using BNP or NT-proBNP to monitor therapy in patients with HF.
PMID: 17991434 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]