Fig. 1. Number of days from onset of worsening of selected symptoms of heart failure to hospital admission in 83 patients admitted with heart failure. Most symptoms were present 1 week before admission, which suggests that earlier outpatient intervention might reduce hospitalizations.

Data from: Schiff GD, Fung S, Speroff T, McNutt RA. Decompensated heart failure: symptoms, patterns of onset, and contributing factors. Am J Med 2003;114(8):625–30. (Reproduced with permission.)