BNP rises when the left heart stretches and fails, marking severity. Proteinuria shows up because the failing heart reduces blood flow to the kidneys, which then leak protein into urine. Both labs reveal how heart failure damages the kidneys.
Here's some key lab values to check for in a patient with left sided heart failure. There's two really that are really important to know for the nclex and that's BNP and proteinuria. So BNP is going to test the heart stretching and so when the heart is damaged and it's stretching and left sided heart failure that BNP is going to increase and then proteinuria. Here's your key critical thinking point for this one, my friend. When there's less blood going to the kidneys, the kidneys are going to start spilling protein out into the urine. They're not able to keep that protein in the body. It's going to start spilling out into the, into the urine because the kidneys are damaged. And so this is a sign of kidney damaged. Kidney damage in left sided heart failure. That is what you're going to want to look for is proteinuria and bnp. You can find all these med surg flashcards inside the nursing SOS shop.
