Heart failure is a common and highly disabling clinical syndrome.
It is a complex and progressive clinical condition that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ‘pumping function’ of the heart.

Early and accurate diagnosis
of patients presenting with dyspnea at the Emergency Department (ED) is key to initiate timely, appropriate treatment and improve patient outcome.
In establishing accurate early diagnosis or exclusion of heart failure of dyspneic patients, the measurement of B-type natriuretic peptides (BNP or NT-proBNP) leads to appropriate treatment and cost savings.