Prognosis in heart failure: is systolic or diastolic dysfunction more important?

The clinical syndrome of congestive heart failure can result from inadequate myocardial contraction (systolic myocardial failure), from pseudo-heart failure due to circulatory overload, or from failure of the ventricles to fill at low pressure (diastolic myocardial failure). The presence of systolic or diastolic heart failure is most precisely defined by an examination of left ventricular pressure-volume relations. Diastolic failure commonly coexists with systolic dysfunction.