The European heart failure management resources, treatment reimbursement and activities of professional and patient organizations

Aims: The European Heart Failure (HF) Survey was developed by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to map HF management resources, reimbursement of drugs/devices for HF treatment, and structure and activities of HF professional and patient organizations. Methods and results: The survey encompassed 43 ESC member countries. The median number of hospitals with dedicated HF centres was 2.6 (interquartile range [IQR] 0.9–4.7) per million people. Natriuretic peptide assessment was available at a median of 6.1 (IQR 1.8–10.6) emergency departments and 8.2 (IQR 1.3–14.7) hospitals per million people, respectively, whilst cardiac magnetic resonance was available at a median of 2.0 (IQR 0.9–3.8) hospitals per million people. Short-term and long-term mechanical circulatory support and heart transplantation were available at a median of 1.1 (IQR 0.5–2.4), 0.4 (IQR 0.0–0.5) and 0.3 (0.2–0.5) hospitals per million people, respectively. Whilst essential HF medications were mostly available and reimbursed, gaps were observed in availability and funding of newer and advanced therapies. Density of all diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities was greater in countries with more favourable socioeconomic status. National HF societies were reported in 98% of countries, whilst HF patient organizations in 45% of countries.anaemia. Conclusions: The European HF Survey is the result of long-standing HFA/ESC efforts to monitor HF epidemiology, management resources, educational and awareness activities. It offers a valuable assessment of current management capabilities, highlighting challenges in providing contemporary standards of care. It also provides insights into future directions needed to address these gaps.