Useful For

Left ventricular dysfunction can occur as part of coronary heart disease, arterial hypertension, valvular disease, and primary myocardial disease.  If the left ventricular dysfunction remains untreated and is progressive, the potential for mortality is high, e.g., due to sudden cardiac death.  Initial studies reveal that natriuretic peptides can be used for diagnostic clinical problems associated with left ventricular dysfunction.

In subjects with left ventricular dysfunction, serum and plasma concentrations of BNP increase, as do the concentrations of the biologically inactive prohormone, proBNP.  ProBNP is secreted mainly by the left ventricle of the heart and, in this process, is cleaved into pysiologically active BNP and the N-terminal fragment NT-proBNP. The concentration of NT-proBNP in serum and plasma indicates the prognosis for left ventricular dysfunction.  It is also useful in assigning symptoms to cardiac or non-cardiac causes. NT-proBNP determination helps to identify subjects with left ventricular dysfunction and changes in concentration can be used to evaluate the success of treatment in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

NT-proBNP levels are increased in patients with unstable angina and following myocardial infarction.  Studies indicate NT-proBNP measurements, although not diagnostic for these conditions, provide prognostic information for the short- and long-term risk stratification of patients with unstable angina or myocardial infarction.