Critical Care: BNP and Heart Failure- A Brief Overview

BNP. What is it? Why is it important? BNP is a substance secreted by the heart in response to heart damage and worsening heart failure. BNP stands for B-type Natriuretic Peptide. It's sometimes called brain natriuretic peptide, and I have no idea why. Among other tests, it can show us (the healthcare team) whether or not there is heart failure. Testing for BNP is a blood draw laboratory test. Normal BNP level is 100 or below. A level above 100 indicates heart failure.

Heart failure is the number 1 cause of hospitalization in the United States. Signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, high heart rate, frothy blood-tinged sputum, edema (fluid collecting in the body) which can show up as puffy legs or abdomen or weight gain. (see picture above)  There is no cure for heart failure and the best way to prevent it is to reduce your risk factors. These include diet, exercise, not smoking, and reducing stress.

Heart failure is most often cause by cardiac arrest (stopped heart), Myocardial infarction (heart attack), and cardiomyopathy (problems withing the heart muscle including stiffening or overgrowth of heart muscle, or enlarged heart.)