ST2 more specific than BNP for heart failure diagnosis

Critical Diagnostics today announced publication in the latest issue of the Journal of Heart Failure results of a study involving 995 patients who presented to the emergency room (ER) with chest pain. The study concluded that in this undifferentiated, symptomatic patient population ST2 was more specific for acute heart failure than BNP and that ST2 is independently predictive of future death and/or heart failure and has incremental utility in combination with BNP.

"This report clearly demonstrated that ST2 is an independent predictor for the primary outcome diagnostically and continues to have prognostic utility independently of the index event," wrote the study authors, continuing "even when adjusted in multivariate analyses including multiple patient characteristics and all of the other biomarkers, including BNP, ST2 remains independently predictive of the primary outcome and heart failure on admission and the primary outcome, death, and heart failure during follow-up. ST2 is more specific than BNP for heart failure diagnosis. The combination of ST2 and BNP has improved prognostic utility compared with ST2 or BNP alone."

"It (ST2) has the potential to improve patient management by identifying patients with heart failure," stated authors Abigal May Khan, MD, and Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE, in an accompanying editorial comment.

James Snider, President of Critical Diagnostics, added in response to the publication, "This study demonstrates the potential for using ST2 in conjunction with BNP in diagnosing and managing patients presenting to the ER with chest pain. This is an exciting expansion of research into an important patient population and identifies new opportunities for physicians to customize patient care."