Ramsha Zaheer24 days ago

Brain Natriuretic Peptide In Congestive Heart Failure

Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a cardiac neurohormone produced by the ventricular myocardium in response to ventricular volume expansion and pressure overload. BNP Levels above 150 pg/ml correlate strongly with the presence of congestive heart failure (CHF). If BNP levels are normal, it excludes CHF. It is also helpful in differentiating between dyspnea caused by CHF and COPD. N-terminal pro-BNP (NT-proBNP) is a newer assay with a similar predictive value as BNP. The normal range for this value depends on the age of the patient, but an NT-proBNP <300 virtually excludes the diagnosis of CHF.