Diagnosing and managing acute heart failure in adults: summary of NICE guidance

Acute heart failure may present de novo in people without known cardiac dysfunction, or as an acute decompensation of known chronic heart failure. Acute heart failure is a common cause of admission to hospital (more than 67 000 admissions in England and Wales each year) and is the leading cause of hospital admission in people aged 65 years or more in the United Kingdom.1 European registry data show that nearly 50% of people admitted to hospital with acute heart failure are re-admitted within 12 months,2 and a third of people with acute heart failure die within a year of their first hospital admission.1 The diagnosis of heart failure can be challenging because of non-specific symptoms and clinical signs, and there is evidence of wide variation in the way people with acute heart failure are managed.1 This article summarises the most recent recommendations from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on acute heart failure.3