FRIDAY, Nov. 22, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new lab test to help doctors diagnose congestive heart failure.
The Roche Diagnostics test, named Elecsys proBNP Immunoassay, detects elevated levels of a heart peptide, NT-proBNP, which could indicate congestive heart failure. The higher the peptide level, the more serious the condition.
The earlier congestive heart failure is treated, the better the chances a patient will survive. The just-approved test will allow doctors to quickly diagnose whether a person's symptoms indicate heart failure, or another condition such as lung disease.
The FDA cleared the test following clinical trials involving more than 2,000 people in the United States and Europe.
Congestive heart failure affects up to 2 percent of the population. It is often fatal, especially among the elderly.
Here is the FDA Talk Paper describing the test. For more information about congestive heart failure, visit the National Library of Medicine.
