Fig. 1.

Flowchart. Reasons for patients exclusion were: Ejection fraction > = 50% or echocardiogram with a date exceeding 2 years of acquisition (316 patients); Patients without echocardiogram at the time of the invitation - clinical diagnosis of HF only (587 patients); Age > 80 years at the time of inclusion (84 patients); Patient without telephone contact for recruitment (334 patients); Refusal of the eligible patient or responsible person to participate (230 patients); Death before the invitation for inclusion (63 patients)