Abstract
Excerpt: Brain Natriuretic Peptide (BNP) is a cardiac neurohormone secreted from the cardiac ventricles in response to ventricular volume expansion and pressure overload. Levels of this peptide have been noted to increase with increasing New York Heart Association Classification (NYHA) and in patients with diminished left ventricular ejection fraction. Plasma levels of BNP have also been previously shown to be significantly correlated with peak oxygen uptake and the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) in the chronic heart failure (HF) population.