Using biomarkers to guide heart failure management.

INTRODUCTION: Biomarkers have revolutionized the diagnosis of heart failure (HF), but it remains unclear how to use biomarkers to guide management of HF. Areas covered: An exhaustive literature search on using biomarkers to guide HF management was performed. HF guidelines were carefully scrutinized for references pertaining to this topic, and Medline was employed to identify further references. This review focused on natriuretic peptides, troponin, and ST2 as biomarkers used to guide HF management. Most trials have examined secondary prevention of chronic HF patients, and data on primary prevention of HF and therapy of acute HF are emerging. Expert commentary: While the current data on using biomarkers to guide HF management remain mixed, more research is necessary to better understand how to utilize biomarkers to improve HF management.