Useful links and heart failure resources

New Patient Guidelines for Heart Failure | Updated website content

National Cardiac Societies

Austrian Society of Cardiology
Belgian Society of Cardiology
British Cardiovascular Society
Bulgarian Society of Cardiology
Croatian Cardiac Society
Czech Society of Cardiology
Danish Society of Cardiology
Finnish Cardiac Society
French Society of Cardiology
German Cardiac Society
Hellenic Cardiological Society
Hungarian Society of Cardiology
Irish Cardiac Society
Israel Heart Society
Korean Society of Cardiology
Lithuanian Society of Cardiology
Luxembourg Society of Cardiology
The Netherlands Society of Cardiology
Norwegian Society of Cardiology
Polish Cardiac Society
Portuguese Society of Cardiology
Romanian Society of Cardiology
Slovak Society of Cardiology
Slovenian Society of Cardiology
Spanish Society of Cardiology
Swedish Society of Cardiology
Swiss Society of Cardiology
Turkish Society of Cardiology
Ukrainian Association of Cardiology
Tunisian Society of Cardiology

National Cardiology Organisations

Belgian Heart League
British Society of Heart Failure
Canadian HF Society of Cardiology
Cyprus Heart Foundation
Danish Heart Foundation
Finnish Heart Association
French patient website
German Heart Foundation
Hungarian National Heart Foundation
Iceland Heart Association
Irish Heart Foundation
Italian Federation of Cardiology
Italian Heart Foundation
Lithuanian Heart Association
Netherlands Heart Foundation
Norwegian Heart Lung Association (lhl.no)
Portuguese Heart Foundation
Association of Cardiologists of Serbia
Slovenian Heart Foundation
Spanish Heart Foundation
Swedish Heart Lung Foundation
Swiss Heart Foundation
Turkish Heart Foundation

Patient Websites

European Heart Network (ehnheart.org)
Global Heart Hub (globalhearthub.org)

ESC Patient Websites

heartfailurematters.org
afibmatters.org
healthy-heart.org
myrhythmdevice.org

ESC Guidelines for Heart Failure

What patients need to know

This guide for patients from the European Society of Cardiology aims to provide an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure.

In particular, it should help patients to understand the:

main types of heart failure
medicines used to treat heart failure
devices that may be appropriate
importance of rehabilitation
management by a multidisciplinary team
importance of self-care in managing your own condition

Download the Guidelines

An animated journey through heart failure

A series of 9 simple, captivating animations explaining heart failure and its treatment.

These narrated animations explain how a healthy heart works, what happens to it in heart failure and how various treatments work to improve your health

A simple guide to how the heart pumps blood

A simple guide to how the heart pumps blood

What happens in heart failure when the heart can’t pump as well

What happens in heart failure when the heart can’t pump as well

How the body adapts to heart failure — and why symptoms can change

How the body adapts to heart failure — and why symptoms can change

Why fluid builds up in heart failure (and what it can feel like)

Why fluid builds up in heart failure (and what it can feel like)

Why a heart attack can increase the risk of heart failure

Why a heart attack can increase the risk of heart failure

How valve disease affects the heart and can lead to heart failure

How valve disease affects the heart and can lead to heart failure

How vasodilators help the heart by relaxing blood vessels

How vasodilators help the heart by relaxing blood vessels

How “water tablets” help reduce fluid in heart failure

How “water tablets” help reduce fluid in heart failure

How medical devices work in heart failure

How medical devices work in heart failure

Useful tools

Click to print these tools to help you monitor your heart failure

Patient and caregivers videos

In this section you can watch, listen or read interviews with other people with heart failure and their caregivers.

Patient video: living well with heart failure in Ireland

Patient video: living well with heart failure in Ireland

Patient video: the strategy I used to understand heart failure

Patient video: the strategy I used to understand heart failure

Patient video: self-care habits that help day to day

Patient video: self-care habits that help day to day

Patient video: exercise training and cardiac rehab with heart failure

Patient video: exercise training and cardiac rehab with heart failure

Patient video: why quality of life matters in heart failure care

Patient video: why quality of life matters in heart failure care

Patient video: using ESC patient guidelines to support decisions

Patient video: using ESC patient guidelines to support decisions

Patient video: how a patient representative supported my diagnosis

Patient video: how a patient representative supported my diagnosis

Patient video: living with an ICD day to day

Patient video: living with an ICD day to day

Patient video: making lifestyle changes and staying optimistic

Patient video: making lifestyle changes and staying optimistic

Patient video: living with heart failure devices (ICD, CRT, LVAD)

Patient video: living with heart failure devices (ICD, CRT, LVAD)

Patient video: what it’s like living with an LVAD

Patient video: what it’s like living with an LVAD

Patient video: managing heart disease during pregnancy

Patient video: managing heart disease during pregnancy

Patient video: heart failure in congenital heart disease explained

Patient video: heart failure in congenital heart disease explained

Patient video: living better with heart failure and congenital heart disease

Patient video: living better with heart failure and congenital heart disease

Patient video: treatment options for heart failure in congenital heart disease

Patient video: treatment options for heart failure in congenital heart disease

Patient video: LVAD as a bridge to transplantation

Patient video: LVAD as a bridge to transplantation

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heartfailurematters.org is a European Society of Cardiology website

The heartfailurematters.org website was developed under the direction of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The ESC is a world leader in the discovery and dissemination of best practices in cardiovascular medicine. Our members and decision-makers are healthcare professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to represent professionals in the field of cardiology in Europe and beyond.

The HFA is part of the European Society of Cardiology, a nonprofit Association established under French Law of 1901 and is dedicated to heart failure patient management and increasing the awareness of heart failure as a global health problem.

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