Patent ID: 7842472

Claim:
A method of assigning a risk of an adverse outcome to a patient suffering from heart failure, comprising: performing an assay method that detects NGAL (neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin) on a body fluid sample obtained from said patient, thereby providing an NGAL assay result; comparing said NGAL assay result to a baseline NGAL result; and relating the NGAL assay result to the patient's risk by assigning an increased likelihood of an adverse outcome to said patient when said NGAL assay result is greater than said baseline NGAL result, relative to a risk assigned when said NGAL assay result is less than said baseline NGAL result, or by assigning a decreased likelihood of an adverse outcome to said patient when said NGAL assay result is less than said baseline NGAL result, relative to a risk assigned when said NGAL assay result is greater than said baseline NGAL result.