Use of B-type natriuretic peptide in critically ill patients

Abstract

B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is increasingly used in emergency departments to assess the cause of acute dyspnea and in cardiology to follow treatments and predict outcome. It is increasingly used in the intensive care unit in situations such as respiratory failure (acute pulmonary edema, exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and difficult weaning from ventilator) or when pulmonary embolism is suspected. BNP has also been used to assess alteration of myocardial function in sepsis. Plasma BNP is very high in septic-shock patients (>1000 pg/ml), which is suggested to relate to both myocardial stretch and to an alteration in one of the BNP clearance pathways. Whether BNP at admission or at discharge may predict outcome requires further investigation.

KEYWORDS::

• biomarkers
• BNP
• pulmonary edema
• pulmonary embolism
• respiratory failure

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Alexandre Mebazaa received honoraria from Inverness. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.