Disparities in Practice Patterns by Sex, Race, and Ethnicity in Patients Referred for Advanced Heart Failure Therapies.

Advanced heart failure (HF) therapies improve survival in patients with stage D HF. We sought to evaluate differences by race/ethnicity and sex in advanced HF therapy referrals and decision-making across a multicenter survey. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients referred for evaluation for advanced HF therapies at 9 centers (n = 515) across the United States.

Practices of Referring Patients to Advanced Heart Failure Centers.

Background: Therapies for advanced heart failure (AHF) improve the likelihood of survival in a growing population of patients with stage D heart failure (HF). Successful implementation of these therapies is dependent upon timely and appropriate referrals to AHF centers.

Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients referred to 9 AHF centers for evaluation for AHF therapies.

A manifesto of collaborative longitudinal cardiovascular care in heart failure.

In this document, we outline the challenges faced by patients and clinicians in heart failure, specifically centered around the needed coordination of care among the various subspecialties within cardiovascular medicine. We call for a more organized and collaborative effort among clinicians in primary care, general cardiology, electrophysiology, interventional cardiology, cardiothoracic surgery, cardiac imaging, and heart failure-all caring for mutual patients. Care is contextualized within the framework of two phases: a cardiomyopathy phase and an advanced heart failure phase, each of which lends to different considerations in therapy.