Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of heart failure

Heart failure has reached epidemic proportions. Five million Americans have been diagnosed with heart failure, and this number is expected to double within the next 30 years. One million patients are hospitalized annually with decompensated heart failure, and half will be readmitted for recurrent symptoms within 6 months. Heart failure primarily affects the elderly and is the most common reason for hospitalization in this age group. The prognosis for heart failure is poor, worse than most malignancies. Heart failure accounts for 280,000 deaths annually, and the 5-year survival rate is less than 50% despite multiple therapeutic advances. Poor survival may be attributed in part to poor application of evidence-based heart failure therapies and patient noncompliance. This review describes current guidelines for diagnosing and managing patients with heart failure.