NPPB and congestive heart failure: NT pro-BNP can be elevated in a variety of clinical setting; Cardiac factors include arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and valvular heart disease, etc. While non-cardiac factors include pulmonary diseases (such as pulmonary arterial hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary embolus), sepsis, brain hemorrhage, renal failure, hepatic failure, and old age [11].