title: Acute decompensated heart failure.
abstract: Acute decompensated heart failure is the most common cause of hospitalization for patients older than 65 years of age. Although treatment of this condition has improved over the past two decades, the specific approach to patients in the acute setting has not evolved in the same way. A patient facing acute decompensation is experiencing a serious medical condition that is associated with a poor prognosis. In addition, acute decompensated heart failure results in significant costs to the health care system. Significant morbidity and mortality are associated with patients who are readmitted within a year of the first hospitalization. Because of this important problem, further research on improving the prognosis for this condition is warranted. The present article will focus on the risk factors associated with acute decompensation and the importance of this condition, both on prognosis and economics.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Division, Faculty of Medicine, University of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec. serge.lepage@USherbrooke.ca
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lepage
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004232:Diuretics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010359:Patient Readmission / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004232:Diuretics; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain