Evidence map›Paper›PMID 18298821›Full record

ArticleBMC family practice2008

Natriuretic peptide vs. clinical information for diagnosis of left ventricular systolic dysfunction in primary care.

Janka Koschack, Martin Scherer, Claus Lüers, Michael M Kochen, Dirk Wetzel, Sibylle Kleta, Claudia Pouwels, Rolf Wachter, Christoph Herrmann-Lingen, Burkert Pieske and 1 more

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in BMC family practice, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Natriuretic peptides in the detection of preclinical diastolic or systolic dysfunction.Clinical research in cardiology : official journal of the German Cardiac Society · 2010
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Janka KoschackDepartment of General Practice, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany. jkoscha@gwdg.de
Martin Scherer
Claus Lüers
Michael M Kochen
Dirk Wetzel
Sibylle Kleta
Claudia Pouwels
Rolf Wachter
Christoph Herrmann-Lingen
Burkert Pieske
Lutz Binder

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundScreening of primary care patients at risk for left ventricular systolic dysfunction by a simple blood-test might reduce referral rates for echocardiography. Whether or not natriuretic peptide testing is a useful and cost-effective diagnostic instrument in primary care settings, however, is still a matter of debate.

methodsN-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels, clinical information, and echocardiographic data of left ventricular systolic function were collected in 542 family practice patients with at least one cardiovascular risk factor. We determined the diagnostic power of the NT-proBNP assessment in ruling out left ventricular systolic dysfunction and compared it to a risk score derived from a logistic regression model of easily acquired clinical information.

results23 of 542 patients showed left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Both NT-proBNP and the clinical risk score consisting of dyspnea at exertion and ankle swelling, coronary artery disease and diuretic treatment showed excellent diagnostic power for ruling out left ventricular systolic dysfunction. AUC of NT-proBNP was 0.83 (95% CI, 0.75 to 0.92) with a sensitivity of 0.91 (95% CI, 0.71 to 0.98) and a specificity of 0.46 (95% CI, 0.41 to 0.50). AUC of the clinical risk score was 0.85 (95% CI, 0.79 to 0.91) with a sensitivity of 0.91 (95% CI, 0.71 to 0.98) and a specificity of 0.64 (95% CI, 0.59 to 0.67). 148 misclassifications using NT-proBNP and 55 using the clinical risk score revealed a significant difference (McNemar test; p < 0.001) that was based on the higher specificity of the clinical risk score.

conclusionThe evaluation of clinical information is at least as effective as NT-proBNP testing in ruling out left ventricular systolic dysfunction in family practice patients at risk. If these results are confirmed in larger cohorts and in different samples, family physicians should be encouraged to rely on the diagnostic power of the clinical information from their patients.

Indexed as

AgedEchocardiographyFemaleGermanyHumansLogistic ModelsMaleMiddle AgedNatriuretic Peptide, BrainPrimary Health CareReproducibility of ResultsRisk AssessmentRisk FactorsROC CurveSensitivity and SpecificityVentricular Dysfunction, LeftNatriuretic Peptide, Brain

Identifiers

PMID18298821
PMCPMC2267193

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.