Comprehensive review of the heart failure management guidelines presented by the American College of Cardiology and the current supporting evidence.

Context: Heart failure (HF) is a chronic condition that affects the heart's functional capacity, resulting in symptoms such as fatigue, edema, and dyspnea. It affects millions of adults in the United States and presents challenges in optimizing treatment and coordinating care among clinicians. Additionally, the various classifications for HF and limited research on treatment outcomes in heart failure with midrange ejection fraction (HFmrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) further complicate the pharmacological management of patients with this disease.

Dobutamine stress echocardiography in preoperative and long-term postoperative risk assessment of elderly patients.

The authors reviewed all negative preoperative dobutamine stress echocardiograms (DSEs) performed over a 3-year period to determine the value of negative DSE for preoperative risk assessment in elderly patients. All patients with negative DSE performed for preoperative evaluation were followed. Cardiac event rates during and after the operative procedure were determined for hard end points (nonfatal myocardial infarction, cardiac death) and soft end points (emergency room visits, hospitalization for unstable angina, congestive heart failure, coronary angioplasty, coronary artery bypass graft surgery).