Why the study?
Does BNP measurement accurately screen for left ventricular systolic dysfunction and improve cost-effectiveness in breathless patients referred for echocardiography?
Population
83 breathless subjects referred for open access echocardiography, age range 37-87 years (mean 72).
Comparison
Measurement of plasma brain natriuretic peptide… vs Standard echocardiography (reference standard)
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
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May support BNP pre-screening to reduce echocardiograms in breathless patients; leaves open prospective validation of accuracy and savings.
Does BNP measurement accurately screen for left ventricular systolic dysfunction and improve cost-effectiveness in breathless patients referred for echocardiography?
BNP measurement is a highly sensitive and cost-effective pre-screening tool to safely rule out left ventricular systolic dysfunction and reduce unnecessary echocardiograms in breathless patients.
Sim et al. (2003) studied this question.
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