Notification of change: New NT-ProBNP assay
Firstly we would like to apologise for any delay in results you have recently experienced for NT-Pro-BNP. We have had ongoing issues with your current assay.
Abbott Laboratories, who supply our major laboratory biochemistry analysers and reagents, have released their new Alere NT-ProBNP assay. After careful evaluation, we have confirmed that the Alere NT-ProBNP assay is fit for purpose and we will move to measure NT-ProBNP on Wednesday 18th April 2018 .
Due to the assay being continuously available on the routine platform, there should be a dramatic increase in the turnaround times for these results.
There will be no change to reference ranges, with Chronic Heart Failure: National Clinical Guideline for Diagnosis and Management in Primary and Secondary Care: Partial Update (2010) still being used (see below).
>400 but <2000 ng/L: Refer for heart failure specialist assessment and echo (within 6 weeks)
>2000 ng/L: Refer urgently for heart failure specialist assessment and echo (within 2 weeks)
Note: there is no change to specimen handling instructions. Serum separator tube (SST) is the recommended sample type. Further information will be available on the test database