Clinical heart failure, often the result of myocardial infarction, may be preceded by a period of compensated left ventricular impairment. There is substantial need for an experimental model that reflects this human condition. In sheep, coronary artery ligation produced consistent left ventricular anteroapical myocardial infarctions resulting in chronic (5 wk), stable hemodynamic changes compar...

Assays for natriuretic peptides have received considerable attention as potential screening tests for congestive heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction. However, information regarding the impact of age, sex, and other physiologic characteristics on natriuretic peptide levels is limited. We examined a healthy reference sample of 911 subjects (mean age 55 years, 62% women) from the Framin...

Background. B-type natriuretic peptide has been shown to be a very sensitive and specific marker of heart failure. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of percutaneous closure of ventricular septal defects with Amplatzer septal occluders on brain natriuretic peptide levels. Methods. Between 2008 and 2011, 23 patients underwent successfully percutaneous ventricular septal defect clo...

N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, C-reactive protein, and uri-nary albumin levels as predictors of mortality and cardiovascular events in older adults. impact of plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic pep-tide in severe chronic congestive heart failure: a substudy of the carvedilol prospective randomized cumulative survival (COPERNICUS) Studies of cardiopulmonary bypass in children: im...

BACKGROUND In ischaemic cardiomyopathy, raised plasma concentrations of natriuretic peptides are associated with a poor long term prognosis, while the presence of contractile reserve is a favourable sign. OBJECTIVE To assess the relation between plasma natriuretic peptides and contractile reserve. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTING Tertiary referral centre. PATIENTS 66 cons...

Background: In ischaemic cardiomyopathy, raised plasma concentrations of natriuretic peptides are associated with a poor long term prognosis, while the presence of contractile reserve is a favourable sign. Objective: To assess the relation between plasma natriuretic peptides and contractile reserve. Design: Prospective observational study. Setting: Tertiary referral centre. Patients: 66 consecu...

1. The major cardiovascular and renal actions of alpha-atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and the fact that the heart is strategically located to sense changes in intravascular volume indicate the importance of these peptides in the overall control of the extracellular fluid volume under normal and pathophysiological conditions.2. This review examines the clini...

For patients presenting with acute dyspnea, an incorrect diagnosis could increase the mortality risk. When used in the evaluation of patients with acute symptoms, brain natriuretic peptide and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (BNP and NT-proBNP, respectively) testing is highly sensitive for the diagnosis or exclusion of acute or chronic decompensated heart failure (HF). It has been demo...

AIMS Resting plasma levels of atrial natriuretic peptide and B-type natriuretic peptide rise with left ventricular dysfunction, but little is known about effects of cardiac ischaemia on atrial natriuretic peptide and B-type natriuretic peptide levels during exercise. We investigated exercise levels of atrial natriuretic peptide and B-type natriuretic peptide in patients with suspected angina to...

Background: Plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptides are correlated with atrial pressures, as are left ventricular ejection fraction and left ventricular filling abnormalities. Aims: This study investigated the relation of atrial natriuretic peptides to both left ventricular systolic and diastolic function in heart failure. Methods: Plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptid...