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Acute Heart Failure: Patient Characteristics and Pathophysiology

  • Epidemiology of Heart Failure (J Butler, Section Editor)
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Abstract

The number of hospitalizations for acute heart failure (HF) continues to increase and it remains the most common discharge diagnosis among Medicare beneficiaries. Prognosis after hospitalization for HF is poor, with high in-hospital mortality and even higher post-discharge mortality and rehospitalization rates. It is a complex clinical syndrome that varies widely with respect to clinical presentation and underlying pathophysiology. This paper reviews what is documented in the literature regarding the known pathophysiologic mechanisms reported in patients hospitalized for HF.

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Catherine N. Marti, Vasiliki V. Georgiopoulou, and Andreas P. Kalogeropoulos declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Correspondence to Andreas P. Kalogeropoulos.

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This study was supported in part by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR000454. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Marti, C.N., Georgiopoulou, V.V. & Kalogeropoulos, A.P. Acute Heart Failure: Patient Characteristics and Pathophysiology. Curr Heart Fail Rep 10, 427–433 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11897-013-0151-y

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