Predicting the mode of death in advanced congestive heart failure

Despite advances in the treatment of congestive heart failure, mortality from this disease remains high. A number of independent clinical and diagnostic tools such as ejection fraction and peak oxygen consumption (Vo₂) are useful in predicting overall mortality in patients with advanced heart failure. Further application of prognostic clinical indices in the form of a Heart Failure Survival Score is effective in identifying patients at high risk for overall cardiac mortality, but prediction of sudden cardiac death in this patient population remains poor. In this review, we will summarize the established prognostic indicators, discuss the utility of a heart failure score, and examine the mode of death in patients receiving conventional heart failure therapy.