ANMCO position paper: Care pathway of the patient with advanced heart failure eligible for transplantation/mechanical ventricular assistance

Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome with a severe prognosis, despite therapeutic progress. The management of the advanced stages of the syndrome is particularly complex in patients who are referred to palliative care as well as in those who are candidates for cardiac replacement therapy. For the latter group, a prompt recognition of the transition to the advanced stage as well as an early referral to the centers for cardiac replacement therapy are essential elements to ensure that patients follow the most appropriate diagnostic-therapeutic pathway. The aim of this document is to focus on the main diagnostic and therapeutic aspects related to the ad-vanced stages of heart failure and, in particular, on the management of patients who are candidates for cardiac replacement therapy.