Primary results of the Rapid Emergency Department Heart Failure Outpatient Trial (REDHOT). A multicenter study of B-type natriuretic peptide levels, emergency department decision making, and outcomes in patients presenting with shortness of breath

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of BNP (Nesiritide), published as a clinical trial.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels within the diagnostic range, perceived congestive heart failure (CHF) severity, clinical decision making, and outcomes of the CHF patients presenting to emergency department (ED).

Why It Was Studied

Since BNP correlates with the presence of CHF, disease severity, and prognosis, the researchers hypothesized that BNP levels in the diagnostic range offer value independent of physician decision making with regard to critical outcomes in emergency medicine.

Who Took Part

The age groups tagged for this paper are middle-aged adults, both men and women.

The Rapid Emergency Department Heart failure Outpatient Trial (REDHOT) study was a 10-center trial in which patients seen in the ED with shortness of breath were consented to have BNP levels drawn on arrival.

Entrance criteria included a BNP level >100 pg/ml.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a single-blind study.

In this single-blind BNP (Nesiritide) study one party knew the assignments and the other did not.

The methods mention a period of 90 days.

Physicians were blinded to the actual BNP level and subsequent BNP measurements.

Patients were followed up for 90 days after discharge.

What Was Measured

Since BNP correlates with the presence of CHF, disease severity, and prognosis, the researchers hypothesized that BNP levels in the diagnostic range offer value independent of physician decision making with regard to critical outcomes in emergency medicine.

The subject headings attached to it are Biomarkers, Decision Making, Dyspnea, Emergency Service, Hospital, Heart Failure, Natriuretic Peptide, Brain and Outpatients.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a single-blind study of BNP (Nesiritide) over 90 days.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 9 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2004 (Journal of the American College of Cardiology), a journal based in United States.

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