Vol. 19 No. 2 (2021)
An Approach To:

Approach to: Heart failure

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  • Delphine Hansen
Delphine Hansen
McGill University
plastic model of human heart
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26443/mjm.v19i1.518

Published 2021-07-12

Keywords

  • Heart Failure,
  • Ejection Fraction,
  • Pulmonary Edema,
  • Brain Natriuretic Peptide,
  • BNP,
  • Algorythm,
  • Dyspnea,
  • Shortness of breath
    • ...More
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How to Cite

1.
Hansen D. Approach to: Heart failure. McGill J Med [Internet]. 2021 Jul. 12 [cited 2025 Oct. 5];19(2). Available from: https://mjm.mcgill.ca/article/view/518

Copyright (c) 2021 McGill Journal of Medicine

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Abstract

Heart Failure (HF) affects more than 650,000 Canadians (3.6% of Canadian adults above age 40). Even with recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, HF remains among the five most common causes for hospitalization in Canada, with a readmission rate above 30% at the 1-year mark. Despite the significant economic and clinical burden of this disease, there is limited awareness among healthcare providers, healthcare system managers, and governments regarding the current HF epidemic and available therapies. This article reviews the definition of HF and the approach to evaluating a patient with suspected HF, focusing on the different presentations of HF, the clinical significance of ejection fraction, and the usefulness of BNP as a marker of cardiac function.

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