Kerala acute heart failure registry-Rationale, design and methods.

Heart failure (HF) is recognized as a major public health problem in both the low and high- income countries. However, data are scarce on the burden, prevailing practice patterns and long-term health outcomes of HF patients in India. The Kerala heart failure registry (KHFR) is a multi-centric, prospective, and hospital based registry in Kerala, India. Consecutive patients admitted with the diagnosis of acute heart failure satisfying the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) criteria will be enrolled in the registry. Data on demographic, clinical, laboratory, imaging, other diagnostics and therapeutic approaches employed and the usage of guideline based medical therapy will be collected as part of the registry. Additionally, all registered patients will be followed-up regularly at 1-month, and thereafter at every 3-months. Both mortality and hospital admission data will be collected during the follow-up visits. We will be recruiting 7500 HF patients in the KHFR. Once completed, KFHR is going to be the largest HF registry in India. We will validate a HF mortality risk score developed based on a previously conducted Trivandrum Heart Failure Registry in the KHFR patients.