Appropriate selection of medications to reduce morbidity and mortality in heart failure requires the identification of patients with impaired left ventricular systolic function. National guidelines advocate the evaluation of left ventricular systolic function as the single most important diagnostic test in the management of all patients with heart failure (Hunt, 2005). Despite these recommendations, left ventricular systolic function is not evaluated in a substantial proportion of eligible older patients hospitalized with heart failure (Jencks, 2000).

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• American College of Cardiology
• American Heart Association

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• Bonow RO, Bennett S, Casey DE, Ganiats TG, Hlatky MA, Konstam MA, Lambrew CT, Normand ST, Piņa IL, Radford MJ, Smith AL, Stevenson L. ACC/AHA Clinical Performance Measures for Adults With Chronic Heart Failure: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Performance Measures (Writing Committee to Develop Heart Failure Clinical Performance Measures). J Am Coll Cardiol 2005;46:1144–78. Available at http://www.acc.org and http://www.americanheart.org.
• Hunt SA. ACC/AHA 2005 guideline update for the diagnosis and management of chronic heart failure in the adult: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines (Writing Committee to Update the 2001 Guidelines for the Evaluation and Management of Heart Failure). J Am Coll Cardiol 2005; 46(6):e1-82.
• Jencks SJ, Cuerdon T, Burwen DR, Fleming B, Houck PM, Kussmaul AE, Nilasena DS, Ordin DL, Arday DR. Quality of medical care delivered to Medicare beneficiaries: a profile at state and national levels. JAMA. 2000;284:1670-1676.

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