Heart, lung & circulation
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Heart, lung & circulation · Oct 2013
Review Meta AnalysisB-type natriuretic peptide-guided chronic heart failure therapy: a meta-analysis of 11 randomised controlled trials.
The use of plasma levels of B-type natriuretic peptides (BNPs) to guide treatment of patients with chronic heart failure (HF) has been investigated in a number of randomised controlled trials (RCTs). However, the benefits have been variable. We therefore performed a meta-analysis to examine the overall effect of BNP-guided drug therapy on all-cause mortality and HF rehospitalisation in patients with chronic HF. ⋯ Compared with usual clinical care, B-type natriuretic peptide-guided therapy reduces all-cause mortality and HF rehospitalisation, especially in patients younger than 70 years or with higher baseline BNP.