The ACC and American Heart Association (AHA) on March 23 released the 2021 ACC/AHA Key Data Elements and Definitions for Heart Failure in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The document comprises data elements related to heart failure (HF), without differentiation for chronic vs. acute decompensated HF, inpatient vs. outpatient care or whether patients are receiving palliative care.

Led by Writing Committee Co-Chairs Biykem Bozkurt, MD, PhD, FACC, and Ray E. Hershberger, MD, FACC, the document is an update to the 2005 ACC/AHA Key Data Elements and Definitions for Measuring the Clinical Management and Outcomes of Patients With Chronic Heart Failure. The new document includes data elements for HF risk factors, cardiovascular history and noncardiovascular health determinants, including COVID-19 infection.

Other highlights include an updated patient assessment with more detailed elements for symptoms, signs, physical exam findings, stages and functional assessment. In addition, the importance of HF data standards for clinical providers, investigators, administrators, health care services and institutions, regulators, legislators and payers is stressed due to the growing burden of HF, as well as an increased focus on performance measures, among other factors.

The document was developed in collaboration with the Heart Failure Society of America, the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation, and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

Clinical Topics: COVID-19 Hub, Heart Failure and Cardiomyopathies, Acute Heart Failure

Keywords: Dataset, Reference Standards, Palliative Care, Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing, Inpatients, COVID-19, Heart Failure, Ambulatory Care, Lung Transplantation, Surgeons

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