Plasma concentrations of B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), its amino-terminal pro-hormone congener (NT-proBNP) and the cardiac troponins T and I (TNT, TNI) are key biomarkers in the clinical diagnosis of heart failure (HF) and myocardial infarction (MI), respectively9–12. This evidence concerns the gene NPPB and hydrops fetalis.