['To determine whether concentrations of heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) measured before hospital discharge predict critical cardiac events in patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).', '92 consecutive patients with DCM were enrolled and followed up for four years.', 'Serum concentrations of H-FABP, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), cardiac troponin T before hospital discharge and survival rate.', '23 patients died of cardiac causes, received a left ventricular assist device or underwent heart transplantation during the four-year follow up. Univariate analyses showed that New York Heart Association functional class, heart rate, ejection fraction, serum H-FABP and plasma BNP were significant variables. According to multivariate analysis, serum H-FABP and plasma BNP concentrations were independent predictors of critical cardiac events. Cardiac troponin T before hospital discharge was not a predictor. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for death from critical cardiac events was similar between H-FABP and BNP. Patients with an H-FABP concentration at or above the median (> or = 5.4 ng/ml) had a significantly lower survival rate than those below the median, according to analysis by log rank test (p < 0.0001). When combined with BNP concentration at or above the median (> or = 138 pg/ml), H-FABP below the median predicted the worst prognosis among the combinations.'] Is heart-type fatty acid binding protein a novel prognostic marker in patients with non-ischaemic dilated cardiomyopathy?