A clinical summary of this KDP was published in the Journal of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic . Heart failure is a clinical syndrome that is characterized by typical symptoms (eg, dyspnea, ankle swelling, and fatigue) that may be accompanied by signs (eg, increased jugular venous congestion, lung rales, and limb swelling) caused by structural and/or functional cardiac abnormalities. leading to reduced cardiac output and/or increased intracardiac pressures at rest or during exercise. The prevalence of heart failure in the adult population of industrialized countries is approximately 1–2%; in persons aged > 70 years, it increases to a value of ≥ 10%.

This clinical guideline focuses on 10 areas:

Diagnosis and examination of the heart by imaging methods and other diagnostic examinations Preventing or delaying the development of overt heart failure or preventing death before the onset of symptoms Pharmacotherapy of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction Non-surgical device treatment of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction Treatment of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction Arrhythmias and conduction disorders Associated diseases Acute heart failure Mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation Treatment by a multidisciplinary team.