Natriuretic peptides (NP) play a key role in the regulation of the body's water and salt balance and may effectively contribute to the diagnosis of patients with heart failure. NP-measurements are increasingly used internationally, but despite being available for more than ten years, neither a rational implementation nor clinical guidelines for use exist in Denmark. In this review, we present a practical approach to the use of NP in general practice and in the emergency department based on a newly published position paper from the Danish Society of Cardiology.