Acute heart failure

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Last reviewed: 10 Oct 2025
Last updated: 27 Feb 2025

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • older age
  • positive past medical history
  • dyspnea
  • pulmonary crepitations
  • peripheral edema
  • cool peripheries
  • chest pain
  • third heart sound (S3)
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • fatigue and weakness or decreased exercise tolerance
  • hypotension
  • tachycardia
  • elevated jugular venous pressure
  • displaced apex beat (point of maximal impulse)
  • dullness to percussion and decreased air entry in lung bases
  • wheezing
  • palpitations
  • cough
  • syncope
  • murmur
  • ascites
  • hepatomegaly
  • central cyanosis
Full details

Risk factors

  • older age
  • prior episode of heart failure
  • coronary artery disease
  • hypertension
  • valvular heart disease
  • pericardial disease
  • myocarditis
  • cardiac arrhythmias
  • atrial fibrillation
  • diabetes mellitus
  • nonadherence to medications
  • excessive salt intake
  • excessive catecholamine stimulation
  • abnormal thyroid function
  • excessive alcohol intake
  • obesity
Full details

Diagnostic investigations

1st investigations to order

  • ECG
  • chest x-ray
  • Hb
  • thyroid function test
  • B-type natriuretic peptide
  • troponin
  • echocardiography
  • electrolyte panel with BUN, serum creatinine, glucose
  • lipid profile
  • liver function tests
Full details

Investigations to consider

  • lung ultrasound
  • cardiac catheterization
  • endomyocardial biopsy
  • cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)
  • nuclear medicine imaging
  • cardiac CT (coronary CT angiogram)
  • additional biomarkers
Full details

Treatment algorithm

ACUTE

hemodynamically stable

hypotensive (systolic BP <90 mmHg)

hypertensive crisis

ONGOING

acute episode stabilized: LVEF <50%

acute episode stabilized: LVEF ≥50%

Contributors

Expert advisers

Syed Wamique Yusuf, MBBS, FACC, FRCPI

Professor of Medicine

Department of Cardiology

University of Texas

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston

TX

Disclosures

SWY declares that he was a co-director of the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Cardiovascular Board Review Course during which he had also delivered lectures.

Acknowledgements

Dr Syed Wamique Yusuf would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Daniel Lenihan, a previous contributor to this topic.

Disclosures

DL declares that he has no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Amal Mattu, MD

Professor of Medicine

Department of Emergency Medicine

University of Maryland School of Medicine

Baltimore

MD

Disclosures

AM declares that he has no competing interests.

David Whellan, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Jefferson Medical College

Philadelphia

PA

Disclosures

DW declares that he has no competing interests.

Katherine C. Wu, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Baltimore

MD

Disclosures

KCW declares that she has no competing interests.

Sanjay Sharma, BSc (Hons), FRCP (UK), MD

Consultant Cardiologist

King's College Hospital London

London

UK

Disclosures

SS declares that he has no competing interests.

Peer reviewer acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.

Disclosures

Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

McDonagh TA, Metra M, Adamo M, et al. 2021 ESC guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. Eur Heart J. 2021 Sep 21;42(36):3599-726.სრული ტექსტი  აბსტრაქტი

Heidenreich PA, Bozkurt B, Aguilar D, et al. 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline for the management of heart failure: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2022 May 3;145(18):e895-1032.სრული ტექსტი  აბსტრაქტი

Ezekowitz JA, O'Meara E, McDonald MA, et al. 2017 comprehensive update of the Canadian Cardiovascular Society guidelines for the management of heart failure. Can J Cardiol. 2017 Nov;33(11):1342-433.სრული ტექსტი  აბსტრაქტი

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