Introduction

Heart Failure (HP) is a major source of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In the United States, five million people carry this diagnosis. It accounts for in excess of one million hospitalizations and costs approximately $30 billion to treat. The elderly population is particularly affected since more than 80% of those hospitalized for HF are over age 65 years. Despite the development of evidence-based therapy and guidelines in the management of chronic HF for use by physicians and other health care providers, the mortality remains high.