Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for marketing in the U.S. a new blood assay, the Triage BNP test, which will provide physicians with a useful new tool for the diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF). CHF is a serious condition that is often hard to diagnose because patients may not have any symptoms early on and, in the later stages of the disease, the symptoms often resemble those of a variety of other conditions. CHF is the leading cause of hospitalizations among the elderly.

The Triage BNP test measures the amount of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) circulating in the blood. BNP levels rise if the heart is not functioning properly, regardless of whether the person has any symptoms. Therefore, this test is an effective way to detect signs of as well as determine the degree of CHF. Results from clinical studies demonstrated that the BNP test was able to distinguish between patients with CHF versus those without CHF with a specificity over 95%.

Such results are generating excitement in the medical community. However, researchers warn that the test is still new, and further clinical testing is needed before this test can be used more widely.

Sources:
Clinical Laboratory News. March 2001; 27(3):1,8.
Clinical Laboratory Strategies. December 2000; 5(12):1,8.