2015 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

In conclusion, this is the first study to demonstrate that plasma BNP-POC differentiates cardiac from non-cardiac causes of pleural effusion with sensitivity (95.2%) and specificity (87.5%) similar to those of BNP-quant. However, the pleural fluid BNP-POC test is of limited clinical utility, since a positive result is a non-diagnostic finding due to low specificity, although a negative result helps rule out cardiac causes of pleural effusion. There is evidence in human patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) that therapy designed to achieve a certain reduction in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) improves outcomes. In one previous study, dogs with CHF that experienced lower NT-proBNP following conventional therapy survived longer than those with persistently high measurements. It is unknown whether it is possible to purposely change plasma NT-proBNP concentration by adjusting medical therapy in dogs. The aim of the present study was to determine whether a prespecified therapeutic algorithm would result in reductions in plasma NT-proBNP concentration in dogs with chronic CHF secondary to MMVD.