Acute Heart Failure: Pearls for the First Posthospitalization Clinic Visit

Systolic Heart Failure: An Update for Home Healthcare Clinicians

Heart failure (HF) is a significant public health problem that is projected to increase in prevalence in the next 20 years due to a growing aged population and improved survival after acute cardiac events. The American College of Cardiology (2019) defines HF as a complex clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricle to fill or eject blood. In systolic HF, the left ventricular muscle has diminished contractility and ejection fraction is less than 40%. This article will review the pathophysiology and treatment of HF. Implications for home care clinicians are discussed.