Rationale and design: BREATHE registry--I Brazilian Registry of Heart Failure

Several local registries have sought to individually depict clinical characteristics of patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF) in Brazilian hospitals and communities. Overall, the analysis of these data suggests that there are important differences in etiology, decompensation factors, treatment and prognosis of patients with HF in different Brazilian regions. To evaluate the demographic, clinical and prognostic characteristics of 1,200 patients admitted with a clinical diagnosis of decompensated HF in a group of 60 hospitals representative of the different Brazilian regions. Transversal observational study (registry) with a longitudinal twelve-month follow-up (admission consultations, hospital discharge, three months, six months and twelve months after inclusion), in which patients admitted to public and private hospitals clinical with a primarily defined HF diagnosis will be studied. The results will be shown soon after data collection completion, quality assessment and statistical analysis. The results of this multicenter registry will allow for a more appropriate planning of financial, technological and personal resource supply for the health care area, as well as the planning of more effective preventive measures in decompensated HF.