The invention is a method for treating a heart failure patient with the steps of measuring the concentration of IGFBP2 in a blood, plasma or urine sample obtained from the heart failure patient and comparing the patient's IGFBP2 level to a threshold value derived from IGFBP2 measured in samples taken from a group of patients with heart failure selected from the group consisting of stage I, stage stage III and stage IV heart failure, according to New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification system. A patient with an IGFBP2 level that exceeds the threshold value is admitted or readmitted to a hospital and treated with at least one treatment selected from the group consisting of administration of a beta-blocker, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, an angiotensin receptor blocker, an aldosterone antagonist, an implantable cardiac defibrillator, a cardiac resynchronization therapy, an implantable left ventricular assist device and a heart transplant.