Background: Brain natriuretic peptides (BNPs) are useful in the assessment of heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, and acute coronary syndromes.
Methods: We performed a multicenter evaluation of the automated Roche NT-proBNP assay and compared its performance to the Biosite Triage BNP assay.
Results: The N-terminal (1-76) pro brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) method is precise (CV<or=6.1%), has a wide dynamic measuring range (30-35000 ng/l), is free from common interferences, and does not cross-react with BNP. EDTA or heparinized plasma samples collected in glass or plastic tubes can be used, and samples are stable at room temperature or 4 degrees C for up to 3 days. In contrast, the Biosite BNP assay has >2-fold higher CV, and plasma samples are more labile when stored at room temperature and 4 degrees C. Comparison studies showed a reasonable correlation between NT-proBNP and BNP assays, with a substantially higher slope bias of 6-20 for the NT-proBNP assay.
Conclusions: The automated Roche NT-proBNP assay has good analytical performance and better precision than the Biosite BNP assay. Unlike BNP, NT-proBNP is stable in EDTA plasma for 3 days at room temperature or longer at 4 degrees C. The Roche NT-proBNP is fully automated and will accommodate the testing of large numbers of clinical samples for assessing cardiac dysfunction.