What to expect from the new technologies in heart failure treatment

Increasing population ageing will increase health expenditure in an unpredi ctable way as new available therapeutic options and future development in c ardiovascular treatment expand the health market and therefore the expectan cy of life span and of symptom relief. Heart failure, the new millennium pa ndemic in the growing-old population, will probably be a frequent battlefie ld where cardiologist and general practitioner have to cope with the need a nd the demand of health services. Personalization of care profiles will be a key issue for patient satisfacti on and optimal resource allocation. New technological advances will allow d ifferent pathways for patient follow-up both in the prevention and treatmen t of unpredicted events. A different philosophy will be required in adoptin g expensive therapeutic solutions. Quality assurance, both of consolidated treatments and of more advanced the rapeutic options, will be the cornerstone to make increased health cost pro ductive and socially acceptable. (Eur Heart J Supplements 2000; 2 (Suppl J) : J41-J46) (C) 2000 The European Society of Cardiology.