Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide values in cardiac disease.

The plasma concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptides (ANP) were measured during cardiac catheterization in 137 patients with heart disease. Atrial natriuretic peptides were elevated in all types of cardiac disease investigated, including valve disease, coronary heart disease and cardiomyopathy. The highest plasma ANP concentrations were found in patients with the most marked impairment of ventricular function and mitral valve disease. In patients with coronary heart disease, a significant, direct linear correlation was found between left ventricular filling pressure and plasma ANP concentrations (r = 0.42, P less than 0.001). Similarly, in patients with cardiomyopathy, a linear relationship was found between mean pulmonary artery pressure and plasma ANP concentration (r = 0.80, P less than 0.01). These observations suggest that measurement of ANP may be of value as a non-invasive humoral marker in the diagnosis of various cardiac diseases.