Use of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in the Evaluation and Management of Acute Dyspnea

B-type natriuretic peptide is released from the cardiac ventricles in response to hemodynamic overload, and blood levels are higher in patients with heart failure than in those with other causes of dyspnea. This study showed that the diagnostic use of B-type natriuretic peptide levels in patients with acute dyspnea reduced the rate and duration of hospitalization and the cost of treatment. This peptide is released from the cardiac ventricles in response to overload. Heart failure is a major public health problem. Currently, more than 15 million patients have heart failure in North America and Europe, with nearly 1.5 million new cases every year. 1 – 5 Heart failure is the most frequent cause of hospitalization among people older than 65 years of age, and these hospitalizations are an important part of the enormous cost of the disease. Over the past decade, the rate of hospitalization for heart failure has increased by 159 percent. 3 It is estimated that in the United States in 2001, the direct cost of the care of patients with heart failure exceeded . . .