Role of BNP levels on the prognosis of decompensated advanced heart failure.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a condition with poor outcome, especially in advanced cases. Determination of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels is useful in the diagnosis of cardiac decompensation and has also been proving useful in the prognostic evaluation.

Objectives: To verify whether BNP levels are able to identify patients with a poorer outcome and whether it is an independent prognostic factor considering age, gender, cardiac and renal functions, as well as the cause of heart disease.

Hospital readmissions and death from Heart Failure--rates still alarming.

Background: Patients who require hospitalization because of decompensated HF represent a group of the most seriously ill individuals who evolve with high mortality and hospital readmission rates.

Objectives: We sought to evaluate the current natural course of HF by analyzing mortality and readmission rates in this new era of neurohormonal blockage.

Methods: We followed the progress of 263 patients with a mean EF of 27.

[Serum NT-proBNP levels are a prognostic predictor in patients with advanced heart failure].

Objective: To verify if the determination of NT-proBNP values would help predict the prognosis in advanced heart failure (HF) patients.

Methods: One hundred and five subjects with average age of 52.4 years were evaluated, 66.