title: [Advanced heart failure - treatment options beyond medical management].
abstract: Improvement of heart failure therapy has led to a far better survival and quality of life of patients. Treatment of the underlying disease, patient education and improvement of compliance and consequent upgrading of medical heart failure therapy often delays further progression to an advanced stage of heart failure. Nevertheless heart failure remains a chronic progressive disease and it is up to the treating clinician to identify the signs of advanced heart failure in a timely manner in order to evaluate patients for further treatment strategies such as heart transplantation. This article should help define advanced heart failure and illustrate how patients are evaluated for further therapy. Outcome of heart transplantation or mechanically assisted circulatory support is strongly associated to proper patient selection and timing.
authors.affiliation: Schweizer Herz- und Gefäßzentrum, Universitätsklinik für Kardiologie, Inselspital, Bern. michele.martinelli@insel.ch
authors.forename: Michele V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bösch
authors.forename: Janko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Signorell
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mohacsi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D000075202:Contraindications; D018450:Disease Progression; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000379:methods; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000401:mortality; D006354:Heart, Artificial; D006353:Heart-Assist Devices; D006801:Humans; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D018579:Patient Selection; D011379:Prognosis; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D012307:Risk Factors; D013557:Switzerland; D014850:Waiting Lists
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents