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Integration of Brain Tissue Saturation Monitoring in Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing in Patients with Heart Failure
Published on: October 1, 2019
Utility of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) measurement in cardiovascular disease
David R Sullivan1, Malcolm West, Richmond Jeremy
1Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Rd, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. david.sullivan@email.cs.nsw.gov.au
Abstract:
Cardiac failure is a prevalent and costly condition in Western society. The ageing of the population, together with current medical options which improve, rather than eradicate heart failure, lead to the projection that this problem will increase substantially in the foreseeable future. The availability of a simple test to assist the diagnosis and effective management of heart failure would greatly assist the clinical approach to this problem. This review examines the physiological basis for the measurement of natriuretic peptides as markers of the presence or risk of heart failure. It considers its use in the hospital and non-hospital setting and examines the cost-effectiveness of current assays. It is possible that in future natriuretic peptides may offer a form of treatment for heart failure, but this is beyond the scope of this review. Nevertheless, the review highlights the potential benefits of this group of tests in the management of heart failure.
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