Classification of Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure

Despite low inpatient mortality and effective symptomatic management, patients hospitalized for heart failure (HHF) experience high postdischarge mortality and rehospitalization rates. HHF represents a widely heterogeneous population with distinct clinical subsets that may require tailored management approaches. Despite this, however, HHF patients are almost uniformly managed with intravenous diuretics, with low uptake of new therapies during hospitalization. This article proposes a practical approach to classifying HHF patients that is focused on guiding individualized inpatient and postdischarge management. HHF is not a single disease but a manifestation of several cardiac and noncardiac processes and thus should be approached as such.