Accuracy of B-type natriuretic peptide tests to exclude congestive heart failure: systematic review of test accuracy studies Free

M. Battaglia, D. Pewsner, P. Juni, M. Egger, H.C. Bucher, L.M. BachmannArchives of Internal Medicine2006Vol. 166pp. 1073-1080

This review compared the diagnostic accuracy of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and radioimmunosorbent assay in ruling out congestive heart failure (CHF). The authors concluded that both accurately ruled out CHF in primary care and emergency settings, although ELISA performed better. The authors’ conclusions are likely to be reliable, though they are not based on studies directly comparing the two tests.