A Practical Guide to Heart Failure in Older People

The objectives of treating and managing patients with heart failure are in many respects independent of age, but the management of older patients is more difficult and more complex than in younger patients: The diagnosis is easily overlooked, they have multiple co morbidities which are poorly managed, are repeatedly hospitalised, and suffer social isolation.  Furthermore, they were excluded from most heart failure treatment trials as a result of which there has been a reluctance to treat them optimally as a result of which less than 20% are prescribed conventional medicines.

The aim of this book is to redress the balance. It will provide a concise, comprehensive account of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment, management and end of life care of elderly patients with heart failure based on published studies and on expert opinion: It will be a practical guide, not a reference manual.

One of the main reasons for proposing this book is the heterogeneity of care for older people with heart failure combined with the wide spectrum of health care professionals involved in the process, no one group of professionals has all of the expertise needed to address all the needs of this group of patients and this book will help increase awareness of their respective roles.