Quick Blood Test Diagnoses Heart Failure

A clinical study has shown that a 15-minute blood test enabled emergency-room doctors to diagnose congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients without relying on echocardiograms or chest x-rays. The results were reported in the July 18, 2002, issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.

The study involved 1,600 patients in Europe and the United States. Using a test that detects elevated levels in the blood of a hormone called B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), doctors were able to diagnose 83% of patients with CHF. When combined with other clinical markers, such as shortness of breath, swollen ankles, or the results of other lab tests, the accuracy rate rose to 90%. The test was developed by Biosite, Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA; www.biosite.com).

The BNP test also has a high negative predictive value. In the study, doctors using only the BNP results were able to correctly rule out CHF in up to 98% of cases. When patients come to the emergency department with shortness of breath, doctors must first rule out lung disease or kidney failure. Before the new test, doctors had to wait up to three hours for the results of tests such as x-rays, echocardiograms, and computed tomography (CT) scans to reach an accurate diagnosis.

The study was conducted by researchers at the San Diego Department of Veterans Affairs (CA, USA), led by Alan Maisel, M.D., director of the coronary care unit at the VA San Diego Health Care System. "Two drops of blood can get you results in 15 minutes,” said Dr. Maisel. "This test helps save lives and time.”




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