The hemodynamic and renal effects of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were studied in conscious rats with experimental congestive heart failure (CHF) produced by an aortocaval fistula. The peptide had potent hypotensive, diuretic, and natriuretic effects in control rats, all of which were abolished in CHF. Plasma levels of BNP increased time-dependently during the development of CHF, and were more than four-fold higher in sodium retaining rats than in control rats. The data suggest that BNP secretion from the atria is increased in CHF, and that resistance to BNP, in addition to the relative resistance to atrial natriuretic factor, may contribute to sodium retention in CHF.