Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Oct 2004
ReviewPostbypass arrhythmias: pathophysiology, prevention, and therapy.
To review the medical literature on new-onset arrhythmias after cardiac bypass surgery in adults, focusing on the most recent advances on this topic. ⋯ Recent studies demonstrate a continued effort to improve our knowledge about postbypass arrhythmias. New insights in the pathophysiology of postoperative cardiac arrhythmias and advances in prevention and therapy are rapid and results are heterogeneous, so it is difficult for the clinician to keep abreast with these new findings.
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This review discusses the physiology of natriuretic peptides as a group and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in more detail. It will also highlight implications for the use of the natriuretic peptides in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiovascular disease. ⋯ Current data suggest that single and serial plasma measurement of BNP concentrations is a useful tool in the diagnosis and risk stratification of patients with heart disease. Nesiritide, the human recombinant form of BNP, is a new promising parenteral treatment in decompensated heart failure.