Test to ID CDV risk

Medical Laboratory Observer, March, 2007

Test to ID CDV risk. A new test that measures NT-proBNP levels may help to better identify cardiac patients at risk of heart attack or stroke. In a January 2007 Journal of the American Medical Association article, researchers revealed that patients with high NT-proBNP levels have an eightfold higher risk of heart failure, stroke, or heart attack than patients with low levels.

Until now, physicians have had to rely on self-reported symptoms and blood pressure, which often do not provide a clear picture of the patient's condition.