6.3.1 Biomarkers for Prevention: Recommendation Biomarkers: Recommendation for Prevention of HF COR LOE Recommendation Comment/Rationale IIa B-R For patients at risk of developing HF, natriuretic peptide biomarker based screening followed by team-based care, including a cardiovascular specialist optimizing GDMT, can be useful to prevent the development of left ventricular dysfunction (systolic or diastolic) or NEW: New data suggest that natriuretic peptide biomarker screening and early intervention may prevent HF. See Online Data Supplements A and B. In a large-scale unblinded single-center study (STOP-HF [The St Vincent s Screening to Prevent Heart Failure]),85 patients at risk of HF (identified by the presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, or known vascular disease [eg, stage A HF]), but without established left ventricular systolic dysfunction or symptomatic HF at baseline, were randomly assigned to receive screening with BNP testing or usual primary care. Intervention-group participants with BNP levels of 50 pg/mL underwent echocardiography and were referred to a cardiovascular specialist who decided on further investigation and management. All patients received further coaching by a specialist nurse who emphasized individual risk and the importance of adherence to medication and healthy lifestyle behaviors. BNP-based screening reduced the composite endpoint of asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction (systolic or diastolic) with or without newly diagnosed HF.85 Similarly, in another small, single-center RCT, accelerated up-titration of renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system antagonists and beta blockers reduced cardiac events in patients with diabetes mellitus and elevated NT-proBNP levels but without cardiac disease at Developing a standardized strategy to screen and intervene in patients at risk of HF can be difficult because of different definitions of HF risk, heterogeneity of prevalence in different populations, variable duration until clinical HF or left ventricular dysfunction develops, and variable interventions for risk factor modification or treatment. 