Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How NT-proBNP blood tests tell heart from other fluid in cats' chest
By Hezzell, M J et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·Department of Clinical Studies-Philadelphia, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Differentiation of Cardiac from Noncardiac Pleural Effusions in Cats using Second-Generation Quantitative and Point-of-Care NT-proBNP Measurements.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of cats with breathing problems due to fluid buildup in their chest were tested to find out if the fluid was caused by heart issues or something else. Researchers used a new blood test (NT-proBNP) to measure levels of a specific protein, which helped differentiate between cardiac (heart-related) and noncardiac causes of the fluid. The test showed high accuracy, especially when using blood samples, and could help vets make better decisions about treatment. This means that if your cat has breathing difficulties, a vet can use this test to determine the right course of action.
People also search for: cat breathing problems · pleural effusion in cats · NT-proBNP test for cats · heart disease in cats symptoms
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pleural effusion is a common cause of dyspnea in cats. N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) measurement, using a first-generation quantitative ELISA, in plasma and pleural fluid differentiates cardiac from noncardiac causes of pleural effusion. HYPOTHESIS/OBJECTIVES: To determine whether NT-proBNP measurements using second-generation quantitative ELISA and point-of-care (POC) tests in plasma and pleural fluid distinguish cardiac from noncardiac pleural effusions and how results compare to the first-generation ELISA. ANIMALS: Thirty-eight cats (US cohort) and 40 cats (UK cohort) presenting with cardiogenic or noncardiogenic pleural effusion. METHODS: Prospective cohort study. Twenty-one and 17 cats in the US cohort, and 22 and 18 cats in the UK cohort were classified as having cardiac or noncardiac pleural effusion, respectively. NT-proBNP concentrations in paired plasma and pleural fluid samples were measured using second-generation ELISA and POC assays. RESULTS: The second-generation ELISA differentiated cardiac from noncardiac pleural effusion with good diagnostic accuracy (plasma: sensitivity, 95.2%, specificity, 82.4%; pleural fluid: sensitivity, 100%, specificity, 76.5%). NT-proBNP concentrations were greater in pleural fluid (719 pmol/L (134-1500)) than plasma (678 pmol/L (61-1500), P = 0.003), resulting in different cut-off values depending on the sample type. The POC test had good sensitivity (95.2%) and specificity (87.5%) when using plasma samples. In pleural fluid samples, the POC test had good sensitivity (100%) but low specificity (64.7%). Diagnostic accuracy was similar between first- and second-generation ELISA assays. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Measurement of NT-proBNP using a quantitative ELISA in plasma and pleural fluid or POC test in plasma, but not pleural fluid, distinguishes cardiac from noncardiac causes of pleural effusion in cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26813037/