Management of chronic heart failure guided by individual N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide targets: results of the PRIMA (Can PRo-brain-natriuretic peptide guided therapy of chronic heart failure IMprove heart fAilure morbidity and mortality?) study

What Was Tested

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

Natriuretic peptides may be attractive biomarkers to guide management of heart failure (HF) and help select patients in need of more aggressive therapy.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 345 patients taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were middle-aged adults, older adults and people over 80, both men and women.

A total of 345 patients hospitalized for decompensated, symptomatic HF with elevated NT-proBNP levels at admission were included.

After discharge, patients were randomized to either clinically-guided outpatient management (n = 171), or management guided by an individually set NT-proBNP (n = 174) defined by the lowest level at discharge or 2 weeks thereafter.

How the Study Was Run

In design terms this was a randomized study.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got BNP (Nesiritide) and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

The primary end point was defined as number of days alive outside the hospital after index admission.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Adrenergic beta-Antagonists, Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Blockers, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors, Anti-Arrhythmia Agents, Digoxin, Diuretics and Heart Failure.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized study of BNP (Nesiritide) in 345 patients.

With several hundred people or more, it is a fairly large study for this kind of research.

Its findings take up roughly 5 sentences of the abstract and are left out here on purpose; the source paper is the place to read them.

The publication is from 2010 (Journal of the American College of Cardiology), a journal based in United States.

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