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Updated: Aug 27, 2025

Cutoff Value of Phase Angle by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis at Admission as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Acute Heart Failure
Published on: June 10, 2025
'Acute Heart Failure': Should We Abandon the Term Altogether?
Sam Straw1, Andreas Napp2, Klaus K Witte3,2
1Leeds Institute of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK. s.straw@leeds.ac.uk.
Reclassifying acute heart failure as chronic heart failure decompensation may improve patient outcomes. This approach prioritizes optimizing proven therapies during worsening heart failure events.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Clinical Medicine
- Medical Reviews
Background:
- The classification of heart failure into 'acute' and 'chronic' categories is a persistent clinical challenge.
- Hospitalization for worsening heart failure is associated with a poor prognosis, largely reflecting underlying chronic disease severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential benefits of reclassifying heart failure decompensation as an event within the natural history of chronic heart failure.
- To assess if this reclassification can lead to improved patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- This study is a review of current evidence and clinical practice regarding heart failure classification and management.
- Analysis of recent clinical trial data on heart failure therapies and outcomes.
Main Results:
- Most deaths in patients hospitalized for heart failure occur in the post-discharge period.
- Four classes of medications are proven to reduce cardiovascular mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.
- Worsening heart failure events present opportunities to optimize guideline-directed medical therapies.
Conclusions:
- Abandoning the term 'acute heart failure' could enhance the prioritization of evidence-based pharmacological and device therapies during decompensation.
- This shift in perspective may improve outcomes for high-risk heart failure patients.
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