Pharmacologic treatment of acute congestive heart failure resulting from left ventricular systolic or diastolic dysfunction.

Patients presenting in acute congestive heart failure demonstrate severe dyspnea, rales, hypoxia, and chest radiograph findings of acute pulmonary vascular congestion. Not all patients, however, have systolic left ventricular dysfunction. While initial stabilization of an acute episode in decompensated heart failure may follow a common pathway, understanding the nature of the dysfunction is important in selecting both short-term and long-term pharmacologic interventions required in the patient's management.