Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Incidence, medical therapy, and outcomes in heart failure with improved ejection fraction across guideline definitions
Authors' conclusion
Based on definition used, the prevalence of HFimpEF ranges widely from 28% to 40%. Irrespective of definition, patients with HFimpEF remain at residual risk for clinical deterioration and share a similar prognosis despite improvement in EF. These data highlight the persistence of heart failure rather than true recovery; trials to optimize available and new HF treatments are warranted.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with incident heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) between January 2013 and December 2024 within the Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) healthcare systempatients with newly diagnosed HFrEF
- Participants
- 37,443 patients
- Exposure
- Heart failure with improved ejection fraction (HFimpEF) across guideline definitions
- ACC/AHAn = 15,030
- HFA/HFSA/JHFSn = 13,253
- ESCn = 10,304
- Outcome
- HFimpEF incidence
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Mutually exclusive cumulative incidences of HF hospitalization or death · 10 years after HFimpEF
- Higher among patients whose EF improvement met the ACC/AHA definition but did not meet the other 2
- log-rank P < .001
Original publication
Incidence, medical therapy, and outcomes in heart failure with improved ejection fraction across guideline definitions. Am Heart J. Published 6 September 2026. doi:10.
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