Do patients with suspected heart failure and preserved left ventricular systolic function suffer from "diastolic heart failure" or from misdiagnosis? A prospective descriptive study

Abstract

For most patients with a diagnosis of heart failure but preserved left ventricular systolic function there is an alternative explanation for their symptoms-for example, obesity, lung disease, and myocardial ischaemia-and the diagnosis of diastolic heart failure is rarely needed. These alternative diagnoses should be rigorously sought and managed accordingly.