Hemodynamic and Renal Excretory Effects of Human Brain Natriuretic Peptide Infusion in Patients with Congestive Heart Failure. A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Crossover Trial

Background: The pharmacological effects of infusion of human brain natriuretic peptide (hBNP) in patients with severe congestive heart failure have not been characterized previously.

Methods And Results: Twenty patients with severe congestive heart failure were randomized in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial to receive incremental 90-minute infusions of hBNP (0.003, 0.01, 0.03, and 0.1 microgram/kg per minute) or placebo on 2 consecutive days. At the highest completed dose of the hBNP, mean pulmonary artery pressure decreased from 38.3 +/- 1.6 to 25.9 +/- 1.7 mm Hg; mean pulmonary capillary wedge pressure decreased from 25.1 +/- 1.1 to 13.2 +/- 1.3 mm Hg; mean right atrial pressure decreased from 10.9 +/- 1 to 4.8 +/- 1.0 mm Hg; mean arterial pressure decreased from 85.2 +/- 2.0 to 74.9 +/- 1.7 mm Hg; and cardiac index increased from 2.0 +/- 0.1 to 2.5 +/- 0.1 L/min per square meter (all P < .01 versus placebo). Urine volume and urine sodium excretion increased significantly during hBNP infusion when compared with placebo infusion (90 +/- 38 versus 67 +/- 27 mL/h and 2.6 +/- 2.4 versus 1.4 +/- 1.2 mEq/h, respectively, both P < .05 versus placebo), whereas creatinine clearance and urinary potassium excretion did not change.

Conclusions: Infusion of incremental doses of hBNP is associated with favorable hemodynamic and natriuretic effects in patients with severe congestive heart failure.