Hospitalizations for acute decompensated heart failure are increasing in the United States. Moreover, the prevalence of heart failure is increasing consequent to an increased number of older individuals, as well as to improvement in therapies for coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death that have enabled patients to live longer with cardiovascular disease. The main treatment goals in the hospitalized patient with heart failure are to restore euvolemia and to minimize adverse events. Common in-hospital treatments include intravenous diuretics, vasodilators, and inotropic agents. Novel pharmaceutical agents have shown promise in the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure and may simplify the treatment and reduce the morbidity associated with the disease. This review summarizes the contemporary management of patients with acute decompensated heart failure.
Keywords: Acute disease; United States/epidemiology; aged; cardiac output, low; disease progression; diuretics; furosemide; heart failure/classification/drug therapy/mortality; hospitalization; length of stay; milrinone; morbidity/trends; relaxin; tolvaptan; ultrafiltration; vasodilator agents; ventricular dysfunction, left.