The Importance of Pleural Fluid and Serum NT-proBNP Levels in Differentiating Pleural Effusion due to Heart Failure from Other Causes of Effusion (Retracted article. See vol. 48, pg. 1783, 2009)

Abstract

Background and Objective Pleural effusion due to congestive heart failure (CHF) typically are transudates. Light's criteria may be insufficient in determining if the pleural effusion is transudative or exudative in patients with CHF. The aim of our study was to assess the diagnostic performance of the amino-terminal fragment of pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in pleural fluid and serum for the identification of pleural effusion owing to heart failure.