Heart & Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, the official publication of The American Association of Heart Failure Nurses, presents original, peer-reviewed articles on techniques, advances, investigations, and observations related to the care of patients with acute and critical illness and patients with chronic cardiac or pulmonary disorders.

The Journal''s acute care articles focus on the care of hospitalized patients, including those in the critical and acute care settings. Because most patients who are hospitalized in acute and critical care settings have chronic conditions, we are also interested in the chronically critically ill, the care of patients with chronic cardiopulmonary disorders, their rehabilitation, and disease prevention. The Journal''s heart failure articles focus on all aspects of the care of patients with this condition. Manuscripts that are relevant to populations across the human lifespan are welcome.

We are interested in publishing articles representing a broad range of science and clinical practice in a variety of settings as it pertains to our target population. Because health care and the health sciences are global, interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary, we encourage authors to submit manuscripts that reflect these perspectives. Many articles also provide nurses with a framework for applying research results in clinical practice.

We publish original research, case reports, reviews, and observations that are on the cutting edge of science and clinical practice. Discussions of costs of care, patient education, and health policy are relevant to our focus. Reports of well-designed clinical trials and systematic reviews are especially welcome.