Similar to humans, mice with DCM pass through all of these stages (Figure 1A), from normal health (Stage A) to progressively declining contractile function, increasing heart dilation (Stage B), to the development of edema or fluid retention (Stage C) with increases in associated biomarkers (atrial natriuretic peptide, ANP and B-type natriuretic peptide, BNP, etc.), to the onset of severe debilitating HF (Stage D) with left atrial appendage thrombus formation (LAAT) and death [13,19,21]. This evidence concerns the gene NPPA and hydrops fetalis.