Hospitalization for acute heart failure

: Background. Acute heart failure (AHF) is a common and clinically relevant condition that usually implies the need for hospitalization. The aim of this study was to provide data about hospital activity related to AHF at a national and regional level. Methods. The analysis describes acute hospitalization (year 2010) for AHF in both public and private accredited facilities in the Italian Regions and Autonomous Provinces, using as source the hospital discharge records collected by the Italian Ministry of Health. Results. Our findings are consistent with available data in the literature, although they show relevant outcome variability regarding hospitalization rates and mean length of hospital stay. Conclusions. Evaluation of hospitalization costs confirms that the burden of hospitalization is quite high, though characterized by a great variability.