How often we need to measure brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) blood levels in patients admitted to the hospital for acute severe heart failure? Role of serial measurements to improve short-term prognostic stratification.

Background: Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is increasingly used in the management of patients with heart failure (HF). It is still unclear how to use serial BNP measurement in HF.

Aim: To evaluate the usefulness of three consecutive measurements of BNP in patients (pts) hospitalized for acute HF.

Plasma brain natriuretic peptide predicts short-term clinical outcome in heart failure patients with restrictive filling pattern.

Objective: Plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is an important parameter of severity in congestive heart failure (CHF). We analyzed if BNP might stratify 6-month clinical outcome in outpatients with CHF with restrictive mitral filling pattern.

Methods: All subjects with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II to IV and restrictive filling pattern were enrolled at hospital discharge after an acute decompensation.

B-type natriuretic Peptide-guided treatment for predicting outcome in patients hospitalized in sub-intensive care unit with acute heart failure.

Background: Studies with natriuretic peptides have suggested that physicians do not treat heart acute failure (AHF) aggressively enough, and predischarge B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels may be a useful reminder that more treatment is required. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that variations in BNP levels during hormone-guided treatment and measured body hydration status enable the timing of the patient's discharge to be optimized.

Methods And Results: We retrospectively evaluated 186 patients admitted for AHF.

[BNP-guided therapy optimizes the timing of discharge and the medium term risk stratification in patients admitted for congestive heart failure].

Background: Congestive heart failure (HF) is one of the most important cause of hospitalizations and is associated with high cost. Despite a consistent body of data demonstrating the benefits of drug therapy in HF, persistently high rates of readmission, especially within six months of discharge, continue to be documented. Neurohormonal activation characterizes the disease; plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), is correlated with the severity of left ventricular dysfunction and relates to outcome.

Fall in readmission rate for heart failure after implementation of B-type natriuretic peptide testing for discharge decision: a retrospective study.

Background: B-type natriuretic peptide is the most powerful predictor of long term prognosis in patients hospitalised with heart failure. On an outsetting basis, a decrease in B-type natriuretic peptide levels is associated to a decrease in event rate for outpatients managed using the neuro-hormone levels as the target in heart failure therapy. We have retrospectively checked whether the addition of pre-discharge B-type natriuretic peptide levels to a clinical-instrumental decisional score for discharge decision in patients admitted for heart failure reduced readmission rate for heart failure and related cost.