Monitoring
Clinicians are advised to:
Monitor blood pressure as closely as necessary to meet targets based on the latest guidelines and to avoid symptomatic postural hypotension[151][152][153][154]
Monitor volume status (daily weights and adjustment of diuretic dose as necessary)
Screen for common comorbidities:
Screen for diabetes annually; if the patient is diabetic, strict glucose control with haemoglobin A1c every 3 to 6 months should be performed
Screen for coronary artery disease when appropriate
Screen for sleep apnoea when appropriate
Screen for chronic kidney disease.
Patients benefit from frequent formal evaluation in a specialised centre or monitoring in a management programme.[3] Assessment should be made at each visit of the ability of a patient to perform routine and desired activities of daily living. Assessment should be also made of the fluid status and weight of the patient. Careful history of current use of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, alternative therapies, and chemotherapy drugs, as well as diet and sodium intake, should be obtained at each visit.[155] Repeat measurement of ejection fraction and assessment of the severity of structural remodelling can provide useful information in patients with heart failure who have had a change in clinical status, or who have experienced or recovered from a clinical event.
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