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Aims: Epidemiological heart failure (HF) data in the era of natriuretic peptides and echocardiography are scarce. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the HF prevalence in the general population. We will also investigate natriuretic peptide cut-off for diagnosis of HF. Finally, we will be able to identify left ventricular function phenotypes and study relations between cardiac function, clinical presentation, and health-related quality of life., Methods and Results: Screening Of adult urBan pOpulation To diAgnose Heart Failure (SOBOTA-HF) is a cross-sectional prevalence study in a representative sample of Murska Sobota residents aged 55 years or more. Individuals will be invited to attend screening visit with point-of-care N-terminal pro-b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) testing. All subjects with NT-proBNP ≥ 125 pg/mL will be invited for a diagnostic visit that will include history and physical examination, electrocardiogram, echocardiography, blood and urine sampling, ankle brachial index, pulmonary function tests, body composition measurement, physical performance tests, and questionnaires. To validate the screening procedure, a control group (NT-proBNP < 125 pg/mL) will undergo the same diagnostic evaluation. An external centre will validate echocardiography results, and the HF diagnosis will be adjudicated within an international HF expert panel. Overall and age-specific HF prevalence will be calculated in individuals ≥ 55 years and extrapolated to the whole population., Conclusions: The SOBOTA-HF study will test the latest HF guideline diagnostic criteria in the general population sample. Next to HF prevalence, it will provide insight into left ventricular function and general patient phenotype; we will also extend current understanding of natriuretic peptides for HF screening., (© 2019 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)

Aims: Heart failure (HF) burden is displaying significant inter-regional differences within Europe and within countries. Due to limited data focusing on regional differences, our aim was to evaluate HF hospitalizations, readmissions, and mortality burden in Slovenian statistical regions., Methods and Results: The Slovenian National Hospitalization Discharge Registry was searched for HF hospitalizations in patients 20 years or over in the period 2004-12. Annual sex and age-standardized HF hospitalizations, mortality, and HF readmissions rates were calculated for Slovenia and for each Slovenian statistical region. Trends were evaluated using ANOVA. Multiple mixed effect logistic regression models, which included statistical region, admission year, sex, age, intensive care unit treatment, and co-morbidities as a fixed effect and hospital identifier as a random effect, were calculated for mortality and readmissions. Overall, 156 859 HF hospitalizations (55 522 where HF was coded as a main diagnosis and 43 606 as first HF hospitalizations) were recorded. Annual standardized rates varied considerably between statistical regions for main (220-511) and first HF hospitalization (392-721), 30 day (12.6-27.1) and 1 year mortality (66-117), and 30 day (31-80.8) and 1 year readmission (99-24) (per 100 000 patient years in 2012). Yearly decline in HF hospitalization rates was seen for national main (3.6; 0.001) and first (8.4; 0.083) HF hospitalizations, while individual regional main and first HF hospitalization trends mostly did not reach statistical significance. No relevant differences in mortality and readmission endpoints for statistical regions were seen when adjusted for patient demographics and specific co-morbidities., Conclusions: Significant regional differences in standardized HF hospitalization, mortality, and readmissions between the regions were seen. There were no differences in mortality and readmissions between statistical regions for individual similar patients., (© 2019 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.)