Low prevalence of B-type natriuretic peptide levels <100 pg/mL in patients with heart failure at hospital discharge

Background In patients with acute heart failure (HF) presenting at the emergency department, a B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) level Methods We investigated 601 patients with HF who were part of a large-scale multicenter study in The Netherlands. All patients had been admitted for decompensated HF, and their BNP levels were measured before discharge when they had been clinically stabilized. Clinical characteristics of patients with BNP levels Results Patients were 70 ± 12 years old, 61% were men, and mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 0.34 ± 0.14. Of these patients, 10% had BNP levels P Conclusions In clinically stable patients with a recent admission for decompensated HF, only 10% had BNP levels ≥100 pg/mL. These patients with low BNP levels seemed to have less severe HF and more frequently had preserved systolic function compared with patients with BNP levels ≥100 pg/mL.