Plasma N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide and adrenomedullin: prognostic utility and prediction of benefit from carvedilol in chronic ischemic left ventricular dysfunction. Australia-New Zealand Heart Failure Group

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of BNP (Nesiritide) and Adrenomedullin, published as a randomized controlled trial.

The researchers sought to assess plasma concentrations of the amino (N)-terminal portion of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (N-BNP) and adrenomedullin for prediction of adverse outcomes and responses to treatment in 297 patients with ischemic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction who were randomly assigned to receive carvedilol or placebo.

Who Took Part

The study group was 297 patients.

Plasma N-BNP and adrenomedullin were measured in 297 patients with chronic ischemic (LV) dysfunction before randomization to carvedilol or placebo, added to established treatment with a converting enzyme inhibitor and loop diuretic (with or without digoxin).

The patients' clinical outcomes, induding mortality and heart failure events, were recorded for 18 months.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized and placebo-controlled study.

Because people in this BNP (Nesiritide) study were split into groups at random, differences between the groups are less likely to reflect who happened to join each one.

The comparison arm used a placebo, so changes seen with BNP (Nesiritide) could be set against what happens without it.

The timeline in the abstract includes 18 months.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Adrenergic beta-Antagonists, Adrenomedullin, Biomarkers, Carbazoles, Carvedilol, Chronic Disease and Heart Failure.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and placebo-controlled study of BNP (Nesiritide) and Adrenomedullin in 297 patients over 18 months.

Results are reported in around 5 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2001 (Journal of the American College of Cardiology), a journal based in United States.

More context: the BNP (Nesiritide) compound page and the Adrenomedullin compound page, all human trials.