ABSTRACT
Heart failure has been compared to the mythical multi-headed beast Hydra because of its many causes and numerous clinical presentations.1 Heart failure is a complex syndrome defined by an inability of the heart to pump a sufficient supply of blood to meet the metabolic requirements of the body.2,4 As opposed to other cardiac diseases, the incidence of heart failure is increasing; each year over 400,000 new cases are diagnosed.2,3 Overall, approximately 4.7 million people in the United States have heart failure and the incidence in patients 65 years and older has doubled each decade.1,5
The risk of death for patients with mild heart failure is 5% to 10% annually, increasing to 30% to 40% in patients with advanced disease.3,6 Approximately one half of all patients with heart failure do not live beyond 5 years once diagnosed.5
