Echocardiography in Heart Failure

Abstract

Heart failure is referred to a constellation of clinical signs and symptoms that results from either an inadequate ‘forward’ cardiac output (e.g. fatigue, cardiac cachexia, hypotension) or ‘backward’ circulatory congestion (e.g. dyspnea, hepatomegaly and ascites, dependent edema). It is estimated that nearly five million Americans suffer from heart failure, with an incidence approaching 10 per 1000 population among persons older than 65 years of age.