PMID- 38058332
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20231208
IS  - 2168-8184 (Print)
IS  - 2168-8184 (Electronic)
IS  - 2168-8184 (Linking)
VI  - 15
IP  - 11
DP  - 2023 Nov
TI  - Rapid N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) Kit as a 
      Differentiating Tool for Acute Dyspnea in a Resource-Limited Setting.
PG  - e48306
LID - 10.7759/cureus.48306 [doi]
LID - e48306
AB  - Introduction Dyspnea is among the most prevalent symptoms experienced by patients 
      presenting as an emergency. The underlying etiology is often a cardiovascular or 
      pulmonary condition, of which heart failure is recognized as a major contributor. 
      The differentials are primarily established based on the patient's clinical 
      presentation and physical examinations but are not conclusive. Of the various 
      investigations undertaken to determine the cause of dyspnea, the biomarker 
      N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP) was found to be 
      significantly associated with heart failure. Its level has been proven to be in 
      direct correlation with the severity of the disease. This study demonstrates the 
      usability of an economical rapid test kit in measuring NT-ProBNP levels to help 
      differentiate the cause of dyspnea in the presenting patient in a 
      resource-limited setting. Methodology We studied 115 participants from a tertiary 
      care center in India, which included 70 males and 45 females aged </=30 to >/=75 
      years, presenting with shortness of breath. Rapid NT-ProBNP tests were conducted 
      alongside recording their symptoms, vitals, examination findings, and other 
      parameters. They were also classified according to New York Heart Association 
      (NYHA) Classification, and further investigated. Results The study elucidated the 
      efficacy and accuracy of the rapid kits in determining NT-ProBNP levels, and its 
      relation with the severity and prognosis of heart failure. The kits utilized had 
      a sensitivity of greater than 93% for ruling out heart failure as a cause of 
      dyspnea, and a sensitivity of greater than 96% for ruling out elevated NT-ProBNP 
      levels in general. Other parameters such as presenting symptoms and vitals were 
      also analyzed, establishing a correlation with NT-ProBNP levels.  Conclusion This 
      study guided us in understanding the effective utilization of the rapid testing 
      kits for emergency care, minimizing the burden on other limited resources. The 
      lower cost and ease of use would serve as a quick means of reaching a conclusive 
      diagnosis, especially in an emergency, which in turn would aid in receiving 
      timely and specific treatment. These kits could act as a stepping stone in 
      creating a sustainable and efficient healthcare system for patients as well as 
      healthcare workers.
CI  - Copyright (c) 2023, Sahu et al.
FAU - Sahu, Sweta
AU  - Sahu S
AD  - Surgery, JJM (Jagadguru Jayadeva Murugarajendra) Medical College, Davanagere, 
      IND.
FAU - Shah, Devarsh N
AU  - Shah DN
AD  - Medicine and Surgery, Medical College Baroda, Vadodara, IND.
FAU - Vempati, Roopeessh
AU  - Vempati R
AD  - Internal Medicine, Gandhi Medical College, Secunderabad, IND.
AD  - Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Institute, Detroit, USA.
FAU - Kandhi, Pallavi Roy
AU  - Kandhi PR
AD  - Internal Medicine, Kakatiya Medical College, Warangal, IND.
FAU - Parmar, Mihirkumar P
AU  - Parmar MP
AD  - Internal Medicine, Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society, Vadnagar, IND.
FAU - Bethanabotla, Sanjay
AU  - Bethanabotla S
AD  - Internal Medicine, Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, IND.
FAU - Gadgil, Shardool
AU  - Gadgil S
AD  - Medicine and Surgery, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital and Medical 
      College, Mumbai, IND.
FAU - Chandra, Prerna
AU  - Chandra P
AD  - Internal Medicine, Deccan College of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad, IND.
FAU - Malipatil, Sangamesh N
AU  - Malipatil SN
AD  - Medicine, Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College, Kalaburagi, IND.
FAU - Patel, Yash
AU  - Patel Y
AD  - Internal Medicine, Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society, Vadnagar, IND.
FAU - Natarajan, Balaganesh
AU  - Natarajan B
AD  - Neurology, St. George's University School of Medicine, Saint George's, GRD.
FAU - Bingi, Thrilok Chander
AU  - Bingi TC
AD  - General Medicine, Gandhi Hospital, Secunderabad, IND.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20231105
PL  - United States
TA  - Cureus
JT  - Cureus
JID - 101596737
PMC - PMC10697234
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - acute heart faiure
OT  - cardiopulmonary diseases
OT  - nt-probnp
OT  - resource limited setting
OT  - severe dyspnea
COIS- The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
EDAT- 2023/12/07 06:42
MHDA- 2023/12/07 06:43
PMCR- 2023/11/05
CRDT- 2023/12/07 04:00
PHST- 2023/10/12 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2023/11/05 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2023/12/07 06:43 [medline]
PHST- 2023/12/07 06:42 [pubmed]
PHST- 2023/12/07 04:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2023/11/05 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 10.7759/cureus.48306 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Cureus. 2023 Nov 5;15(11):e48306. doi: 10.7759/cureus.48306. eCollection 2023 
      Nov.