B-type natriuretic peptide

noun

ˈbē-ˌtīp- 

variants or brain natriuretic peptide

: a peptide hormone secreted mainly by myocytes of the cardiac ventricles in response to stretching of heart muscle

Note: An elevated level of B-type natriuretic peptide in the blood is indicative of heart failure.

The marked elevation of serum B-type natriuretic peptide, combined with the physical examination and radiologic findings, points to severe heart failure as the cause of the patient's clinical presentation.

—Melissa H. Kong et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

… tests of brain natriuretic peptide can help determine a patient's chances of surviving a myocardial infarction or of having decompensated heart failure.

—Mike Mitka, The Journal of the American Medical Association

—abbreviation BNP