Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Randomised controlled trials and well-designed cohort studies were eligible for inclusion.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of BNP measurements were included in the review. The BNP value used to define a positive result ranged from 76 to 94 pg/mL.
Reference standard test against which the new test was compared
Studies that included a reference standard, such as echocardiography, to diagnose heart failure were eligible for inclusion.
Participants included in the review
Studies that included a spectrum of patients with heart failure (i.e. New York Heart Association heart failure class I, II, III and IV) were eligible for inclusion.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The studies had to report outcome data such as the sensitivity and specificity, or receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve data, to be eligible for inclusion.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.