Management of heart failure in the elderly patient

The prevalence of heart failure increases exponentially in the elderly population, particularly in western countries. Heart failure is associated with multiple and lengthy hospital stays and carries a high mortality rate. The authors analyzed management modalities of 2780 octogenarians enrolled in the 11 000-patient cohort of the Euro Heart Failure Survey I study. The patients were admitted for suspected or confirmed heart failure to H 5 hospitals in 24 countries belonging to the European Society of Cardiology. The results show that diagnostic investigations and treatment modalities do not comply with international guidelines. The in-hospital and 12-week mortality rates were high.