SUrvey of Guideline Adherence for Treatment of Systolic Heart Failure in Real World

SUrvey of Guideline Adherence for Treatment of Systolic Heart Failure in Real WorldMulticenter, Retrospective Observation Study in Korea

The purpose of this study is to survey the guideline compliance of the cardiologists in the treatment of systolic heart failure in Korea

Major improvement in the medical management of CHF has been achieved in the past decades.

But there is no doubt that prognosis of heart failure patients remains poor. The compliance to the standard treatment can be one of reasons. But very little data concerning this in Korea is available.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Subjects admitted to hospital with systolic heart failure(LVEF under 45%) in 2009
• Subjects, age 20 or/and above
• Subjects admitted to hospital (emergency area, to internal medicine or to cardiology wards, CCU or intensive care) with dyspnea and verification of heart failure based on following criteria;
• Symptoms typical of heart failure : breathlessness at rest or on exercise, fatigue, tiredness, ankle swelling and Signs typical of heart failure : tachycardia, tachypnoea, pulmonary rales, pleural effusion, raised jugular venous pressure, peripheral oedema, hepatomegaly
• Objective evidence of a structural or functional abnormality of the heart at rest : cardiomegaly, third heard sound, cardiac murmurs, abnormality on the echocardiogram, raised natriuretic peptide concentration

Exclusion Criteria:

• Subject who expired during hospitalization