what is the difference between BNP and pro BNP

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Hi. I am very familiar and educated about BNP levels and so on. At my new place, they use PRO BNP and the values are much higher than then the ones for BNP. I also noticed that pt's are d/c home when their PRO BNP levels are going higher then on admission and many times the MD's don't seem to be too concerned about these numbers in general. Anyone can give me some education on this topic? Thank you:uhoh3:

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Specializes in Emergency.

i dont really know the difference between the two but i have heard the term used interchangablely at one hospital i have worked at. brain natriuretic peptide (bnp), or b-type natriuretic peptide, is a hormone produced by the heart. a bnp test measures the amount of this hormone in a sample of blood. normally, only low levels of bnp are found in the blood. however, if the workload of the heart increases, such as from heart failure, the heart releases additional bnp. its released into the bloodstream by the cardiac muscle cells when they are stretched by chf typically.

as to why some patients are going home with still elevated bnp or rising ones, it becasue its just one piece of the puzzle- its just a number you have to look at the patient as a whole.

rj:rolleyes:

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Specializes in tele, stepdown/PCU, med/surg.

We just started using ProBNPs at the hospital too. I think it's supposedly more specific than the regular BNPs.

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