NPPB and cardiac arrhythmia: Serum sodium and magnesium levels, glomerular filtration rate, and hemoglobin values in patients with arrhythmia were significantly (p < 0.04, at least) lower than those in patients without arrhythmia, whereas serum creatinine, B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and troponin, and plasma levels of C-reactive protein, procalcitonin, and D-dimer were significantly (p < 0.01, at least) higher (Table 1).