The 2013 (updates in 2016, 2017) American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association and 2016 European Society of Cardiology guidelines provide practical evidence-based clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of both acute and chronic heart failure. Both guidelines address noninvasive and invasive testing to establish the diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Extensive trial evidence supports the use of guideline-directed medical therapy and device-based therapies for the optimal management of patients with HFrEF. Specific recommendations are also provided for HFpEF, although the evidence is substantially weaker. Management of medical comorbidities is now addressed in both guidelines. Acute heart failure and end-stage disease requiring advanced therapies are also discussed. This review compares specific recommendations across the spectrum of heart failure phenotypes and disease severity, highlights areas where differences exist, and lists consequential studies published since the latest guidelines.

Editors

Editor-in-Chief
Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, MACC

CME Editor
Ragavendra R. Baliga, MD

Authors
G. William Dec, MD, FACC

CME Information

Target Audience

JACC Journal CME/MOC/ECME is intended for physicians who treat patients with cardiovascular disease.

Important Dates

Date of Release: May 27, 2019
Term of Approval/Date of CME/MOC/ECME Expiration: May 26, 2020

Learner Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, the reader will be able to:

• Discuss current American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and European Society of Cardiology (ESC) practice guidelines for recommended diagnostic and therapeutic options for the management of chronic heart failure.

Method of Participation and Claiming Credit
This ACC JACC Journals CME/MOC/ECME activity includes the reading of an article published in one of the JACC journals and the successful completion of self-assessment questions.  

Requesting AMA PRA Category 1 CME Credit™ and/or MOC, or ECME credit for this Activity
To request credit, you must:

1. Read the article for which you wish to receive credit.
2. Answer the self-assessment questions. You need to have achieved a passing score of 70% or better in order for the Evaluation link to become activated. If you did not achieve a passing score, please click on the Posttest link in the left navigation bar and retake the exam.
3. After you complete the Evaluation, click on the Claim Credit button in the left navigation bar.
4. For CME credit, enter the total amount of time you actually spent in the activity in the box provided. Please note that you may only claim once for this activity. Click Claim.
5. For MOC credit, click the Claim button in the row for MOC. Please note that you may only claim once for this activity. Confirm your ABIM number and date of birth.
6. For ECME credit, click the Claim button in the row for EMCE. Please note that you may only claim once for this activity. Enter date of birth and click Submit.
7. The page will be updated with the date and time that you claimed your credit.
8. To view your credit, or to print a certificate, please go to ACC.org and navigate to the My Transcript section of My ACC.

This CME/MOC/ECME-certified activity may contain links to other educational resources such as clinical trial summaries, journal articles, guidelines, etc., that may not be CME/MOC/ECME certified. Please note that clicking on the links provided to view these resources will open new windows, which are outside of this CME/MOC/ECME-certified activity.