The guidelines for the first time cover both chronic and acute heart failure. The diagnostic part has been extensively reworked and includes detailed comments on the practical use of different diagnostic techniques. There is no revolution in drug therapy or the use of procedures and devices, but obviously new data are well covered. Special emphasis has been placed on patient self-management, and on different therapeutic programmes that an improve compliance and clinical outcome. The most interesting task undertaken by the authors is an attempt “to define the undefined”, in other words, to identify the areas in which the gaps in evidence are most obvious. It is striking to see how much is still unknown, despite our many years of extensive research. This part of the document will hopefully stimulate important new studies, so that in the next edition the list of unknowns can be shorter. The ESC Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Acute and Chronic Heart Failure were presented during a first-time scientific session of the ESC Congress on practice guidelines. Another session on controversies in heart failure guidelines covered such topics as the differences between the European and American approach, and matters related to implementation. The pocket version of the heart failure guidelines is included in the ESC Guidelines Compendium, which is offered to all congress participants. The full text will be published in the European Heart Journal I do hope that all those who care for patients with heart failure will find the guideline interesting and informative, and that it will be soon translated to local languages by most National Societies of the ESC family.
Authors: Michal Tendera, Medical University of Silesia Katowice, Poland ESC Committee for Practice Guidelines
ESC Congress wallpaper