Academic emergency medicine : official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
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The diagnosis of heart failure in the outpatient setting can be difficult. A rapid assay for B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) has been advocated for the diagnosis of heart failure, using a single cutoff of 100 pg/mL. ⋯ This multitude of causes of BNP elevation imposes limits on its diagnostic use for heart failure. The literature on the use of BNP testing for diagnosis of heart failure is reviewed, and improved guidelines for its interpretation are suggested.