NT-proBNP-guided and clinically guided treatment reduced short-term but not long-term mortality in chronic HF.

Patients: 364 patients > 18 years of age (median age 75 to 76 y, 64% men) who were hospitalized for symptomatic chronic HF (Framingham criteria and European Society of Cardiology diagnostic guidelines) and had an immediate prerandomization plasma NT-proBNP level > 50 pmol/L (about 400 pg/mL). Exclusion criteria were active myocarditis or pericarditis; severe hepatic or pulmonary disease (FEV1 < 1 L), renal impairment (plasma creatinine > 250 μmol/L), or valvular disease; eligibility for cardiac transplantation; and life expectancy < 24 months because of noncardiovascular disease.