2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure

Introduction 1.1. Methodology and Evidence ReviewThe recommendations listed in this document are, whenever possible, evidence based.An extensive evidence review was conducted through October 2011 and includes selected other references through April 2013.Searches were extended to studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted in human subjects and that were published in English from PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Reports, and other selected databases relevant to this guideline.Key search words included but were not limited to the following: heart failure, cardiomyopathy, quality of life, mortality, hospitalizations, prevention, biomarkers, hypertension, dyslipidemia, imaging, cardiac catheterization, endomyocardial biopsy, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin-receptor antagonists/blockers, beta blockers, cardiac, cardiac resynchronization therapy, defibrillator, device-based therapy, implantable cardioverterdefibrillator, device implantation, medical therapy, acute decompensated heart failure, preserved ejection fraction, terminal care and transplantation, quality measures, and performance measures.Additionally, the committee reviewed documents related to the subject matter previously published by the ACCF and AHA.References selected and published in this document are representative and not all-inclusive.To provide clinicians with a representative evidence base, whenever deemed appropriate or when published, the absolute risk difference and number needed to treat or harm are provided in the guideline (within tables), along with confidence intervals and data related to the relative treatment effects such as odds ratio, relative risk, hazard ratio, and incidence rate ratio. Organization of the Writing CommitteeThe committee was composed of physicians and a nurse with broad expertise in the evaluation, care, and management of patients with heart failure (HF).The authors included general cardiologists, HF and transplant specialists, electrophysiologists, general internists, and physicians with methodological expertise.The committee included representatives from the ACCF, AHA, American Academy of Family Physicians, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians, Heart Rhythm Society, and International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. 1.3.