Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Mar;11(1):3-5.
doi: 10.1177/1753495X17736717. Epub 2017 Nov 22.

NT-proBNP: When is it useful in Obstetric Medicine?

James A Ker  1 , Priya Soma-Pillay  2   3
Affiliations
Review

NT-proBNP: When is it useful in Obstetric Medicine?

James A Ker et al. Obstet Med. 2018 Mar.

Abstract

Pregnancy, viewed as a stress test of the haemodynamic system, may unmask underlying cardiac disease. Pregnancy may also induce de novo cardiac disease. N-terminal pro brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a useful biomarker in all clinical conditions in which the ventricle is stressed and especially stretched in the general population. In hypertensive diseases of pregnancy, increased levels of NT-proBNP in preeclampsia are associated with increased cardiac filling pressures and diastolic dysfunction. Increased levels of NT-proBNP in pregnant women with known cardiac disease may lead to earlier diagnosis of impending heart failure. Similarly, elevated levels of NT-proBNP assist with the diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy and are increasingly used in follow-up. Women with known congenital heart disease who are pregnant can be screened for risk of cardiac events such as heart failure by the use of NT-proBNP levels. There is a paucity of data in pregnancy with the use of NT-proBNP and more research is needed.

Keywords: Cardiac; general medicine; maternal–fetal medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Saenger AK, Rodriguez-Fraga O, Ler R, et al. Specificity of B-type natriuretic peptide assays: cross-reactivity with different BNP, NT-proBNP, and proBNP peptides. Clin Chem 2017; 63: 351–358. - PubMed
    1. Daniels LB, Maisel AS. Natriuretic peptides. J Am Coll Cardiol 2007; 50: 2357–2368. - PubMed
    1. Bayes-Genis A, Barallat J, Richards AM. A test in context: neprilysin: function, inhibition and biomarker. J Am Coll Cardiol 2016; 68: 693–653. - PubMed
    1. Oremus M, McKelvie R, Don-Wauchope A, et al. A systematic review of BNP and Nt-proBNP in the management of heart failure: overview and methods. Heart Fail Rev 2014; 19: 413–419. - PubMed
    1. Still SA, Booth RA, Sontguida PL, et al. Use of BNP and NT-proBNP for the diagnosis of heart failure in the emergency department: a systematic review of the evidence. Heart Fail Rev 2014; 19: 421–438. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources