Utility of Brain Natriuretic Peptide in diagnosis of congestive heart failure and comparison with trans-thoracic echocardiography: a multicenter analysis in South Asian and Arabian population

To evaluate serum Brain Natriuretic Peptide levels (BNP) as a screening test in the diagnosis of congestive heart failure. Comparative cross-sectional study. Prince Salman Heart Center, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between December 2010 to January 2012 and Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Pakistan, from February to August 2006. A total of 80 patients with clinical diagnosis of Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) underwent measurement of serum BNP and had a trans-thoracic echocardiography to measure Ejection Fraction (EF). The normal limit for serum BNP levels, provided by the manufacturer of the kit was applied as a cut-off value for BNP. EF of > 45% was considered normal. Forty seven patients (94%) had an EF < 45%. BNP levels were elevated in 36 patients (72%). Sensitivity and specificity of BNP was found to be 80% and 66% respectively and accuracy was 80%. BNP measurements as a screening tool for CHF has good sensitivity and accuracy when compared to echocardiography.