Patient education: B-type natriuretic peptide test (The Basics)

What is a B-type natriuretic peptide test? — A B-type natriuretic peptide test, or "BNP test," is a type of blood test. BNP is a hormone made by the heart's "ventricles." These are the 2 lower chambers of the heart (figure 1). They pump blood to the rest of the body.

If your BNP level is high, it might mean that your heart is not working as well as it should.

A related test is called "N-terminal pro-BNP," or "NT-proBNP." This test gives similar information about the heart, but uses different measurements.

Why might I get a BNP test? — Doctors can do a BNP test to:

●Help find out if a person has heart failure – Heart failure is a condition in which the heart does not pump well. It can cause symptoms such as swelling, trouble breathing, and feeling tired.

●Monitor a person with heart failure – This can help doctors know if heart failure is getting worse.

How do I prepare for a BNP test? — For this test, you need to get a "blood draw." Your doctor or nurse will tell you where to go for this.

It might help to wear a short-sleeve shirt to your blood draw appointment. This makes it easier for the person drawing your blood to get to your arm.

What happens during a blood draw? — For the blood draw, a needle is used to take a small amount of blood from your arm (figure 2). Collecting the blood only takes a few minutes. The blood is then tested in a lab.

Tell the person who takes your blood:

●If you take "blood thinner" medicines or if you have a bleeding problem – They will make sure that your bleeding is under control before you leave.

●If you have a latex allergy – Some of the supplies used for blood draws might contain latex.

●If you have a preferred arm to use

Most of the time, getting blood taken does not cause problems. You might have a little soreness or bruising where the needle went in.

What do my results mean? — Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to expect your results, and will contact you with the results. Or if you use an online "patient portal," you might get an alert there when your results are ready.

If your BNP level is too high, your doctor or nurse will talk to you about what to do next. They will probably order more tests to check how well your heart is working. If your BNP level is normal but you have symptoms, they might order different tests to try to figure out the cause.

If you do have a health problem, your doctor will work with you to come up with a plan for treatment.

More on this topic

Patient education: Heart failure (The Basics)
Patient education: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (The Basics)
Patient education: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (The Basics)
Patient education: Heart failure and atrial fibrillation (The Basics)
Patient education: Nuclear heart testing (The Basics)

Patient education: Heart failure (Beyond the Basics)