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Review
. 2021 Oct;17(4):533-545.
doi: 10.1016/j.hfc.2021.06.002. Epub 2021 Jul 15.

Advanced Heart Failure: Definition, Epidemiology, and Clinical Course

Maria Generosa Crespo-Leiro  1 , Eduardo Barge-Caballero  2
Affiliations
Review

Advanced Heart Failure: Definition, Epidemiology, and Clinical Course

Maria Generosa Crespo-Leiro et al. Heart Fail Clin. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Advanced heart failure (HF) is characterized by a progressive worsening of symptoms disabling for daily life, refractory to all therapies, and with high mortality. These patients may be candidates for life-prolonging therapies, such as heart transplantation (HT) or long-term (LT) mechanical circulatory support (MCS) or must just require palliative therapies. The 1-year survival after HT and/or LT-MCS is approaching 80% to 90%, being patient selection and timely referral to advanced HF centers critical for optimal outcomes. There is no single symptom, sign, or test that can identify these patients and different classifications are complementary and helpful for clinical decision-making.

Keywords: Advanced heart failure; Coordination and networking; Definition; Heart transplantation; Mechanical circulatory support; Prognosis; Referral criteria; Selection criteria.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Maria Generosa Crespo-Leiro and Eduardo Barge-Caballero, are members of the “CIBERCV” network of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, which provides research funds to their institution.