Contemporary Perspectives on Congestion in Heart Failure: Bridging Classic Signs with Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies

Congestion represents a defining hallmark of heart failure (HF) leading to increased morbidity and mortality in HF patients. While it was traditionally viewed as a simple and uniform state of volume overload, contemporary understanding has emphasized its complexity, distinguishing between intravascu...

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Main Authors: Mihai Grigore, Camelia Nicolae, Andreea-Maria Grigore, Ana-Maria Balahura, Nicolae Păun, Gabriela Uscoiu, Ioana Verde, Adriana-Mihaela Ilieșiu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Diagnostics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1083
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author Mihai Grigore
Camelia Nicolae
Andreea-Maria Grigore
Ana-Maria Balahura
Nicolae Păun
Gabriela Uscoiu
Ioana Verde
Adriana-Mihaela Ilieșiu
author_facet Mihai Grigore
Camelia Nicolae
Andreea-Maria Grigore
Ana-Maria Balahura
Nicolae Păun
Gabriela Uscoiu
Ioana Verde
Adriana-Mihaela Ilieșiu
author_sort Mihai Grigore
collection DOAJ
description Congestion represents a defining hallmark of heart failure (HF) leading to increased morbidity and mortality in HF patients. While it was traditionally viewed as a simple and uniform state of volume overload, contemporary understanding has emphasized its complexity, distinguishing between intravascular, interstitial, and tissue congestion. Congestion contributes to overt clinical manifestation of HF. However, subclinical congestion often goes undetected, increasing the risk of adverse outcomes. Residual congestion, in particular, remains a frequent and challenging issue, with its persistence at discharge being strongly linked to rehospitalization and poor prognosis. Clinical evaluation often fails to reliably identify the resolution of congestion, highlighting the need for supplementary diagnostic methods. Improvement in imaging modalities, including lung ultrasound, venous Doppler, and echocardiography, have significantly enhanced the detection of congestion. Moreover, biomarkers such as natriuretic peptides, bioactive adrenomedullin, soluble CD146, and carbohydrate antigen 125 offer valuable, complementary insights into fluid distribution and the severity of HF congestion. Therefore, a comprehensive, multimodal strategy that integrates clinical evaluation with imaging and biomarker data is crucial for optimizing the management of congestion in HF. Future approaches should prioritize personalized decongestive therapy, addressing both intravascular and tissue congestion, while aiming to preserve renal function and limit neurohormonal activation. Refinement of these strategies holds promise for improving long-term outcomes, reducing rehospitalizations, and enhancing overall patient prognosis.
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spelling doaj-art-bd66df22ebed4eb08e0bb320d7cdc4b62025-08-20T03:49:22ZengMDPI AGDiagnostics2075-44182025-04-01159108310.3390/diagnostics15091083Contemporary Perspectives on Congestion in Heart Failure: Bridging Classic Signs with Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic StrategiesMihai Grigore0Camelia Nicolae1Andreea-Maria Grigore2Ana-Maria Balahura3Nicolae Păun4Gabriela Uscoiu5Ioana Verde6Adriana-Mihaela Ilieșiu7Cardio-Thoracic Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 021021 Bucharest, RomaniaCardio-Thoracic Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 021021 Bucharest, RomaniaCardio-Thoracic Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 021021 Bucharest, RomaniaCardio-Thoracic Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 021021 Bucharest, RomaniaCardio-Thoracic Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 021021 Bucharest, RomaniaCardio-Thoracic Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 021021 Bucharest, RomaniaCardio-Thoracic Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 021021 Bucharest, RomaniaCardio-Thoracic Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 021021 Bucharest, RomaniaCongestion represents a defining hallmark of heart failure (HF) leading to increased morbidity and mortality in HF patients. While it was traditionally viewed as a simple and uniform state of volume overload, contemporary understanding has emphasized its complexity, distinguishing between intravascular, interstitial, and tissue congestion. Congestion contributes to overt clinical manifestation of HF. However, subclinical congestion often goes undetected, increasing the risk of adverse outcomes. Residual congestion, in particular, remains a frequent and challenging issue, with its persistence at discharge being strongly linked to rehospitalization and poor prognosis. Clinical evaluation often fails to reliably identify the resolution of congestion, highlighting the need for supplementary diagnostic methods. Improvement in imaging modalities, including lung ultrasound, venous Doppler, and echocardiography, have significantly enhanced the detection of congestion. Moreover, biomarkers such as natriuretic peptides, bioactive adrenomedullin, soluble CD146, and carbohydrate antigen 125 offer valuable, complementary insights into fluid distribution and the severity of HF congestion. Therefore, a comprehensive, multimodal strategy that integrates clinical evaluation with imaging and biomarker data is crucial for optimizing the management of congestion in HF. Future approaches should prioritize personalized decongestive therapy, addressing both intravascular and tissue congestion, while aiming to preserve renal function and limit neurohormonal activation. Refinement of these strategies holds promise for improving long-term outcomes, reducing rehospitalizations, and enhancing overall patient prognosis.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1083congestionheart failureintravascular congestiontissue congestion
spellingShingle Mihai Grigore
Camelia Nicolae
Andreea-Maria Grigore
Ana-Maria Balahura
Nicolae Păun
Gabriela Uscoiu
Ioana Verde
Adriana-Mihaela Ilieșiu
Contemporary Perspectives on Congestion in Heart Failure: Bridging Classic Signs with Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies
Diagnostics
congestion
heart failure
intravascular congestion
tissue congestion
title Contemporary Perspectives on Congestion in Heart Failure: Bridging Classic Signs with Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies
title_full Contemporary Perspectives on Congestion in Heart Failure: Bridging Classic Signs with Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies
title_fullStr Contemporary Perspectives on Congestion in Heart Failure: Bridging Classic Signs with Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies
title_full_unstemmed Contemporary Perspectives on Congestion in Heart Failure: Bridging Classic Signs with Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies
title_short Contemporary Perspectives on Congestion in Heart Failure: Bridging Classic Signs with Evolving Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies
title_sort contemporary perspectives on congestion in heart failure bridging classic signs with evolving diagnostic and therapeutic strategies
topic congestion
heart failure
intravascular congestion
tissue congestion
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4418/15/9/1083
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