Increased circulating levels of the cardiac polypeptide hormones atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) may be observed after orthotopic cardiac transplantation. Both the hypertrophic and inflammatory processes in the allograft may contribute to this increase, but no mechanistic explanation has been suggested for this observation.
Departments of Surgery, Medicine and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,University of Ottawa, the Ottawa Heart Institute, and the Ottawa Hospital Civic Site, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
