Incorporating common biomarkers into the clinical management of heart failure.

Heart failure is a prevalent and costly disease, and its management with polypharmacy is complex. Commonly available biomarkers primarily help to 1) establish or refute the diagnosis of heart failure; 2) help to determine the disease severity; and 3) identify adverse consequences of treatment. Although several of them are commonly ordered (such as electrolytes, renal and liver function), their use is primarily based on broad clinical experience rather than established evidence. The availability of cardiac-specific natriuretic peptide testing has provided an evidence-based breakthrough in our abilities to establish the diagnosis and severity of heart failure, yet the appropriate boundaries to guide management are still in refinement.