RESUMO
Heart failure (CHF) is one of the most important health problems of our population and surprisingly the only cardiovascular disorder whose prevalence, incidence and mortality is steadily rising in spite of extraordinary advances in the diagnosis and management of other forms of cardiac disease. Management of chronic CHF has been the focus of recently published guidelines by cardiovascular societies both in the United States and Europe. However, no analogous guidelines have so far addressed the management of acute CHF. This presentation aims to review current knowledge regarding the diagnosis and management of acute CHF, to promote a more accurate identification of this clinical disorder and an optimization of the care received by patients afflicted with this condition in our community.