VExUS in Patients With Acute Heart Failure

Inclusion Criteria: * Acute decompensation of heart failure (diagnosis was based on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) heart failure guidelines, with patients presenting with dyspnoea at rest or with minimal exertion and signs and symptoms of congestion (rales on chest auscultation, peripheral oedema, swelling of the cervical veins, hepatomegaly, ascites, hepatojugular reflux) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) \> 1000 pg/ml Exclusion Criteria: * Chronic renal replacement therapy or glomerular filtration rate \< 15 ml/min/1.73m 2 (chronic kidney disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD)-EPI) * Cirrhosis with portal hypertension * Acute myocardial infarction according to The Fourth Universal Definition of Myocardial infarction * Pulmonary embolism * Sepsis (according to The Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock (Sepsis-3)) * Endotracheal intubation at the time of admission * Pregnancy or breastfeeding * Aortic dissection * Active cancer * Neurological or mental disease during exacerbation * Refusal to sign an informed consent form, inadequate acoustic window