Brain natiuretic peptide and cardiac failure.

Brain natiuretic peptide (BNP) is a hormone secreted specifically by the le ft ventricular myocytes. Its concentration is correlated with the severity of symptomatic or asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. The measurement of BNP has several applications from the screening of popul ations to the monitoring of the effects of treatment and the evaluation of the prognosis of cardiac failure. The emergence of new methods of rapid mea surement will enable its usage as a routine investigation in the near futur e. Large scale clinical trials are, however, required to confirm the hopes rai sed by this new marker of left ventricular dysfunction.