August 7, 2007 – After using a portable echocardiography to test the potential of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) assay in diagnosing heart failure among patients registered as having heart failure in a single primary care practice, researchers determined that BNP level is not useful for validating a primary care register diagnosis of heart failure, according to a report in the July 30th BMC Cardiovascular Disorders.