TREATMENT REVIEW Diagnostic and Therapeutic Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide in Patients With Renal Insufficiency and Decompensated Heart Failure
Peter A. McCullough, MD, MPH, FACC, FACP, FCCP FAHA,* Kuncheria Joseph, MD,† Vandana S. Mathur, MD‡
*Divisions of Cardiology, Nutrition and Preventive Medicine, William Beaumont Hospital, RoyalOak, MI, †Bon Secours Hospital, Venice, FL, ‡Department of Medicine, Department of Nephrologyand Renal Transplantation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) and congestive heart failure (CHF) are epidemiologicallyand pathophysiologically linked. A recent study in patients with severe CHF demonstratedthat renal plasma flow was inversely correlated with pulmonary capillary wedge pres-sure, right atrial pressure, pulmonary pressure, and right ventricular ejection fraction. This article reviews the utility of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels in assessingcardiac function and volume status in patients with CKD and examines the safetyand efficacy of BNP therapy in patients with renal insufficiency and decompensatedheart failure. [Rev Cardiovasc Med. 2004;5(1):16-25]
Key words: Congestive heart failure • Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system • B-type natriuretic peptide • Nesiritide • Chronic kidney disease
Only 16% of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients who have reached
end-stage renal disease (ESRD) have echocardiographically normal leftventricles,1 and 40% have clinically diagnosed congestive heart failure
(CHF).2 The activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS),sympathetic nervous system (SNS), and endothelin-1 by heart failure reduces
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Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide
losclerosis, tubulointerstitial fibrosis,
patients with glomerular filtrationrates (GFRs) of 50 mL/min to 75mL/min, 25 mL/min to 50 mL/min,
Chronic CHF and CKD may aggravate the progression of each other, leadingto an inexorable vicious cycle and accelerated cardiac and renal fibrosis.
approximately 30%, 33%, and 49%,respectively.
Chronic Kidney Disease and Congestive Heart Failure
past 15 years.19 According to the U.S.
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Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide continued
presentation with acute decompen-sated CHF are typically due to renal
Aldosterone Angiotensin II
acute CHF. IV diuretics have beenshown to cause significant increases
Figure 1. Central role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis in progressive cardiomyopathy and chronic kidney disease. CHF, congestive heart failure; CKD, chronic kidney disease; LVH, left ventricular hypertrophy.
within 20 minutes of administra-tion.36 Hence, while helpful in clear-
ulation is reflected by studies ofpatients with advanced CHF (andmean serum creatinine (Cr) of
Hence, while helpful in clearing pulmonary congestion, the early andsingular use of IV loop diuretics further activates the RAAS and SNSwhile leading to elevations in Cr in many patients.
from universal (VMAC, 69%15;OPTIME, 69%28).
Renal Function as a Predictor of Outcome Natriuretic Peptides and Acute Neurohormonal Activation Heart Failure
strongest independent predictors ofmortality among U.S. patients whowere hospitalized with a primary
Adverse Consequences of Chronic Systemic and Tissue Level RAAS Activation
60-day hospital readmissions amonga Medicare cohort (N = 2176) with
• Coronary atherosclerosis vasoconstriction
• Prothrombotic effects/increased plasminogen
RAAS, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
Data from: Epstein M,5 Brewster UC, et al,6 and Hostetter TH, et al.23
VOL. 5 NO. 1 2004 REVIEWS IN CARDIOVASCULAR MEDICINE
Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Correlation of Systemic Hemodynamic Parameters to Renal Plasma Flow in Heart Failure Patients45
epithelial and mesangial cells insmaller quantities.7 Both peptidesagonize the guanylate cyclase-cou-
Hemodynamic Parameter r-value for Correlation With RPF P Value
Renal plasma flow did not correlate significantly with cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance
PCWP, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure; PAP, pulmonary artery pressure; RAP, right atrialpressure; RVEF, right ventricular ejection fraction. Data from: Kos, et al.45
BNP, but not ANP.37,38 Both ANP andBNP are cleared by neutral endopep-tidase (NEP 24.11), which is found
differences in physiologic response.
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Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide continued Figure 2. (A) Effect of nesiritide (NES) on urine volumes over 6 hours. (B) Effect of nesiritide on clinical by blinded patients (PT) and physi-BNP Levels in Patients With Physiologic Effects of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide Renal Disease A number of studies have examined Observed Physiologic or Clinical Effect Known or Presumed Mechanism Reference
Direct inhibition of aldosterone, renin,
secondary to improvements in cardiac function and inhibition of endothelin-1,
Enhanced potassium secretion secondary 55
to natriuretic effects balanced by aldosterone inhibition
Arterial dilatation and potential reflexive
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Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide
that BNP is not significantly (if at all)
reduction in BNP with a dialysis ses-sion may prove to be an importantindicator of optimally reduced left
Nesiritide was significantly better at reducing PCWP than placebo plusstandard therapies and intravenous nitroglycerin plus standard therapies.Physiologic Effects of BNP BNP has myriad physiologic and
ics, they either reduce renal filtrationfunction or activate adverse neuro-
Hemodynamic Effects of Nesiritide Improvements in Nesiritide Nesiritide Cardiopulmonary 0.015 µg/kg/min 0.030 µg/kg/min P Value Hemodynamics and Heart Failure Symptoms Nesiritide consistently and rapidly
and pulmonary artery pressures,and it increases cardiac index in a
Values are means + SD. P values are for the comparison among all three groups, calculated with the
* P < .001 for the pairwise comparison with placebo, by the F test. †
P < .05 for the pairwise comparison with placebo, by the F test.
PCWP, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure; RAP, right atrial pressure; SVR, systemic vascular resistance;
CI, cardiac index; SBP, systolic blood pressure.
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Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide continued
even in the absence of urine output.
effects predicts that its use as a natri-
conducted. It may be possible, withthe early use of nesiritide in com-bined kidney failure and CHF, to
It may be possible, with the early use of nesiritide in combined kidneyfailure and CHF, to reduce the use of additional therapies, including
pies, including inodilators. Thus,the use of additional hospital
resources and risks of invasive hemo-dynamic monitoring and arrhyth-
Management of Patients With
or GFR occurred (despite natriuresis). Chronic Kidney Disease and Chronically Decompensated Heart Failure Natriuresis and Renal Function Preservation in Heart Failure
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Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide
days (10% vs 23%, P = .06), and the
> 65, history of sustained ventriculartachycardia, ischemic etiology ofCHF, history of diabetes, outpatient
FUSION data suggest that serial outpatient infusions of nesiritide given topatients with advanced heart failure who are at high risk for hospitalizationpotentially reduces morbidity and mortality due to heart failure.
ly infusions of nesiritide in an out-patient setting in patients with
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Utility of B-Type Natriuretic Peptide continued
plasma endothelin-1 levels in patients withdecompensated congestive heart failure. Am J
Stevens TL, Burnett JC, Kinoshita M, et al. Afunctional role for endogenous atrial natri-
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ventricular dysfunction. J Clin Invest. 1995;95:1101-1108.
Full Prescribing Information for NATRECOR
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McCullough P, Philbin E, Spertus J, et al. Main Points • B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), produced by the cardiac ventricles and, to a small degree, by the renal glomerular
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