The Role of Brain Natriuretic Peptide in the Patients with Acute Dyspnea in the Emergency Department

For the acutely ill patients who present to the emergency department (ED) with dyspnea, an incorrect or delayed diagnosis of congestive heart failure (CHF) could place the patient at an increased risk for both morbidity and mortality. Therefore, a rapid and accurate diagnosis of CHF is mandatory for administering appropriate and efficacious management. Unfortunately, the signs and symptoms, and readily available emergency diagnostics are neither sensitive nor specific enough for diagnosing CHF alone. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) is secreted by myocytes in response to ventricular stretch and it has long been thought that BNP could become a biochemical marker for CHF and could be a useful tool in the diagnosis and exclusion of CHF if it is applied appropriately. (Korean Circulation J 2007;37:464-469)