TABLE 2

Comparison of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) versus N-terminal prohormone of BNP (NT-proBNP) in clinical practice

BNP	NT-proBNP
Active peptide, inducing compensatory mechanisms for cardiovascular injury/stress	Active function not known, if any
Half-life ∼22 min [14]	Half-life ∼70 min [14]
Correlates better with pulmonary haemodynamics in PAH [1, 67]	Correlates better with prognosis in PAH [1, 67]
Assays use different antibodies and standard materials (introduces challenges over consistency of results between products and protocols)	Assays based on same antibodies and calibrators (gives relative consistency between products and protocols, but accuracy potentially reduced by glycosylation)^#
Must not be collected in non-siliconised glass tubes [19]	Glass or plastic tubes can be used [19]
Shorter stability in storage [19] Assay dependent Deterioration typically occurs within hours at all temperatures	Longer stability in storage [19] 7 days at room temperature 10 days at 4°C ≥2 months at −20°C

PAH: pulmonary arterial hypertension. ^#: extent of glycosylation may be influenced by pathology, e.g. increases seen in chronic renal failure, which would underestimate the true NT-proBNP level.