title: Advanced Heart Failure: Prevalence, Natural History, and Prognosis.
abstract: Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome. The natural history of this syndrome is progressive. Advanced heart failure is present when a patient has signs and symptoms of heart failure that are refractory to therapy. Patients with the most advanced disease and worst prognosis can be identified using iterative, integrated clinical assessment of symptom burden, effort intolerance, and cardiac dysfunction. Recognizing the transition to advanced heart failure is necessary for referral to an advanced heart disease program. Advanced heart disease specialists can tailor medical therapies, perform risk stratification, and evaluate candidacy for mechanical support, transplantation, or end-of-life palliative treatment options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Center for Advanced Heart Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Sunit-Preet
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Chaudhry
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Center for Advanced Heart Disease, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: gcstewart@partners.org.
authors.forename: Garrick C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Cardiomyopathy; Clinical decision making; Heart failure; Prognosis; Risk assessment