Diagnostic characteristics of B type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and amino terminal proBNP (NT-proBNT) concentrations for detecting congestive heart failure in patients with dyspnoea*
| Assay | Cutpoints (ng/l) | Sensitivity (95% CI) | Specificity (CI) | +LR | −LR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *Diagnostic terms defined in glossary; LRs calculated from data in article. †Approved cutpoint for the AxSYM BNP assay (100 ng/l) and Elecsys NT-proBNP assay (125 ng/l for patients <75 years of age and 450 ng/l for those ⩾75 years of age). | |||||
| BNP | 100† | 96% (92 to 99) | 61% (52 to 70) | 2.46 | 0.07 |
| 118 | 95% (90 to 98) | 64% (55 to 73) | 2.64 | 0.08 | |
| 160 | 90% (84 to 95) | 73% (64 to 81) | 3.33 | 0.14 | |
| 295 | 80% (73 to 87) | 86% (78 to 92) | 5.71 | 0.23 | |
| NT–proBNP | 292 | 95% (90 to 98) | 53% (43 to 62) | 2.02 | 0.09 |
| 125/450† | 94% (89 to 97) | 46% (37 to 56) | 1.74 | 0.13 | |
| 476 | 90% (84 to 95) | 65% (55 to 74) | 2.57 | 0.15 | |
| 825 | 87% (80 to 92) | 81% (72 to 88) | 4.58 | 0.16 | |