Westminster, Md. – A new blood test is helping physicians at Carroll County General Hospital to more quickly and accurately diagnose congestive heart failure.

The simple test measures elevated blood levels of the hormone, B-type Natriuretic Peptide (BNP), which is secreted by the heart ventricles in response to the stress of heart failure. As pressure inside the heart rises, so do levels of BNP, making it a strong indicator of congestive heart failure (CHF).

“Until recently, there were no blood tests available to help doctors correctly detect congestive heart failure,” said Scott Jerome, D.O., board-certified cardiologist at Carroll County General Hospital. “This test provides an earlier diagnosis of the condition and allows us to begin appropriate treatments immediately, which is critical for successfully managing heart failure.”

Carroll County General was one of the first hospital’s in Maryland to offer the BNP test and has been using it for more than a year. The test is available around the clock and results are ready within one hour from the hospital’s chemistry laboratory.

Congestive heart failure is the inability of the heart to pump enough blood to the lungs and rest of the body, causing fluid to build up in tissues and symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath and swelling in the legs.

According to the American Heart Association, nearly five million Americans are now living with heart failure and 550,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. Among adults over age 65, heart failure is the number one reason for hospital admissions.

When a patient arrives at the emergency department with shortness of breath, doctors often have difficulty in determining whether it is due to heart failure or other medical conditions such as asthma, emphysema or pneumonia. Before the BNP test, physicians had to order a series of tests and exams (chest x-ray, echocardiogram, listening to lung sounds) to confirm or rule out heart failure. These tests take several hours for results and even then, they are not accurate enough to always make a correct diagnosis.

“The BNP test has significant value in helping to sort out whether shortness of breath is a cardiac or respiratory problem, when clinically it is not entirely apparent,” said David Crane, M.D., chief of emergency medicine at Carroll County General Hospital. “For a select group of patients, particularly those with cardiac and respiratory disease, the test is a great help.”

The BNP test is so sensitive for identifying heart failure that additional tests like angiograms or echocardiograms, may not be needed, said Jerome.

While the BNP test is mostly used in the emergency department, it also is useful for monitoring a patient’s progress while hospitalized.

“BNP levels decline as heart failure improves, so another measurement can be taken within two hours to assess how well a patient is responding to therapy, and possibly, slow the progression of disease,” said Jerome.

Founded in 1961, Carroll County General Hospital is a non-profit, acute care facility offering a continuum of services, including comprehensive inpatient, outpatient and community programs.

###