GRASP-HF is a repetitive snapshot with a yearly short enrolment period, to capture the relevant clinical information of patients with HF, including their acute episodes of decompensation. This study improves the knowledge on epidemiology and outcomes of real-world HF patients.

Information collected by the GRASP-HF study assesses adherence to the ESC HF Guidelines focusing on Quality Indicators, in both chronic and acute HF. 

For that reason, the GRASP-HF snapshot study evolves in parallel with the long-term HFA initiative – ICARe-HF: the Improving Care through Accreditation and Recognition in Heart Failure (ICARe-HF) programme. ICARe-HF is an international accreditation programme for heart failure centres which is about improving patient outcomes by raising standards in care facilities and recognising those that apply best practices. The GRASP-HF snapshot study serves to verify the performance of individual centres through data collection of real-world patient data. If a centre meets or exceeds the performance standards, it will be accredited as an HFA Quality of Care Centre (QCC).

Find out more about the benefits of the ICARe-HF programme.

Objectives

The general objectives of the GRASP-HF snapshot study are:

1. To provide a better understanding of medical practice based on real-world data, collected both across Europe and the rest of the world, using robust methodology and representation within each country.
2. To assess contemporary patterns of HF management in practice and to assess adherence to the ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure, and how these patterns relate to outcomes.
3. To check the ability of HFA Quality of Care Centres (QCC) to continuously improve patient care.

Characteristics

This observational study is based on the consecutive enrolment (every consecutive patient with chronic or acute HF) of patients presenting to cardiology centres internationally.

From 2025, centres will be invited to join the GRASP-HF data collection only as part of the ICARe-HF accreditation programme i.e., for initial accreditation and reaccreditation purposes every 2 years.

Population

All adult patients with chronic or acute heart failure, regardless of ejection fraction, either:

• Outpatient with chronic HF (including first-time diagnosis), according to the clinical judgment, or                       
• Patients admitted to hospital or presenting to an emergency department or acute out-patient care for acute HF for whom an IV (diuretics, inotropes, vasodilators) or mechanical therapy for HF (mechanical circulatory support) is administered.

Study organisation

The registry is managed by the HF Snapshot Study Task Force.

Study Task Force

• Prof. Ovidiu Chioncel – chair (Romania)
• Assoc. Prof. Marianna Adamo (Italy)
• Prof. Offer Amir (Israel)
• Dr. Antonio Canatta (UK)
• Dr. Brenda Moura (Portugal)
• Assoc. Prof. Gianluigi Savarese (Sweden)
• Prof. Mariya Tokmakova (Bulgaria)
• Prof. Maurizio Volterrani (Italy)
• Prof. Marco Metra (Italy) 

Steering Committee

A Registry Steering Committee is composed of one National Coordinator per participating country. The National Cardiac Societies are responsible for the selection of the national coordinators who are in charge of the registry implementation and running of the registry in their respective countries.

Study Status

The first data collection is completed:

• Recruitment took place from 27 September 2024 to 9 January 2025
• 6-month follow-up visits are almost finalised
• 46 participating countries
• 260 recruiting centres
• 11,645 recruited patients (preliminary data due to ongoing data cleaning).

During Heart Failure 2025 congress in Belgrade, ICARe-HF, the international accreditation programme for heart failure centres, reached a major milestone with 56 centres accredited based on data collected through the GRASP-HF study.

Next steps of the study

Following the successful first data collection of the GRASP-HF study and first wave of ICARe-HF accreditations, the GRASP-HF study is renewed to support the ICARe-HF accreditation and reaccreditation pilot programme.

Start-up activities for the next data collection have started (regulatory submissions and agreement) to ensure the start of patient recruitment in October 2025.

How to Participate in GRASP-HF / ICARe-HF

If you are interested in joining this pilot accreditation, please contact registries@escardio.org and icarefh@escardio.org.

Please note that only centres applying to be accredited through ICARe-HF will be eligible to participate in the upcoming GRASP-HF data collection. Applications must be submitted no later than 1 September 2025.

Explore other registries that are currently recruiting.

Already participated in GRASP-HF in 2024/2025? Apply by 31 December 2025 to become certified as an HFA Quality of Care Centre.