Diagnostic Accuracy of Natriuretic Peptide Levels in Patients with Suspected Acute Heart Failure

Because heart failure (HF) can be confused with other conditions (e.g., lung disease), measuring blood natriuretic peptide levels has emerged as a potentially useful tool to rule in or rule out heart failure. In this meta-analysis, researchers used rule-out thresholds recommended by the European Society of Cardiology (Eur Heart J 2012; 33:1787) to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of blood natriuretic peptide levels in patients who presented to acute care settings with symptoms and signs of acute HF. Analysis involved 37 unique cohorts, 48 test evaluations, and >15,000 test results. The reference standard was diagnosis of HF by retrospective review or final hospital diagnosis.

In B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) studies, the overall prevalenc…