ABSTRACT
Perhaps no disorder, cardiac or otherwise, is more associated with the elderly than the
heart failure (HF) syndrome. Over 80% of HF patients are aged 65 years or older. HF
represents the most frequent reason for hospitalization in Medicare beneficiaries,
consuming $4 billion in this population in 2001 (1). Over the past three decades, in the
United States and other western countries, the prevalence and incidence of HF have
increased steadily over this period (2). Between 1979 and 1999, hospital discharges for
HF in the United States nearly tripled in women and more than doubled in men (2). The
national prevalence of HF is approximately 5 million, and approximately 550,000 new
cases occur annually.
