Systolic and diastolic functions in elderly patients with and without heart failure.

Background: A considerable number of patients with heart failure (HF) have a normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). In these subjects, HF has usually been related to diastolic heart failure (DHF), still a frequently overlooked clinical entity.

Methods: This study reports the clinical, instrumental, and conventional echocardiographic evaluation of 159 consecutive, hospitalized elderly patients, 87 admitted with HF and 72 admitted for other reasons without overt HF.