Tiny heart shunt aims to keep heart failure patients out of the hospital

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * 1\. Age ≥ 18 years 2. Diagnosed with HFrEF and receiving Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) for at least 1 month 3. Echocardiographic LVEF between 20% and 40% (20 ≤ LVEF ≤ 40%) 4. Presence of HF-related symptoms and signs, NYHA Class III 5. At least one HF-related hospitalization in the past year or NT-proBNP ≥ 600 pg/mL (sinus rhythm) / ≥ 1000 pg/mL (atrial fibrillation) 6. Invasive hemodynamics: mLAP or mPCWP ≥ 15 mmHg, or left-to-right mean pressure gradient ≥ 5 mmHg 7. Fully understand the study design and follow-up schedule, agrees to participate, and voluntarily signs the Informed Consent Form Exclusion Criteria: * 1\. End-stage heart failure on the heart transplant waiting list (including meeting LVAD indications) 2. Three consecutive non-invasive systolic blood pressure readings \< 90 mmHg 3. Primary structural valvular disease currently indicating surgery or interventional therapy, or severe coronary artery disease requiring revascularization 4. ECG QRS duration ≥ 130 ms with high risk of sudden cardiac death without therapeutic intervention (including meeting CRT/CRT-D indications) 5. Significant right ventricular (RV) dysfunction or severe pulmonary hypertension. Defined by clinical evidence of hepatic congestion, moderate-to-severe edema, or abdominal distension accompanied by poor appetite; significant right atrial or RV enlargement/dysfunction; moderate-to-severe tricuspid regurgitation; mean right atrial pressure \> 10 mmHg; systolic pulmonary artery pressure \> 60 mmHg; or pulmonary vascular resistance \> 3 Wood Units 6. Myocardial infarction or cardiac intervention within the past 1 month 7. Stroke within the past 1 month (excluding lacunar infarction) 8. Decompensated liver cirrhosis (Child-Pugh Class B or worse), or severe chronic pulmonary disease requiring oxygen therapy 9. Anatomical abnormalities precluding procedure completion or making the patient unsuitable for procedure 10. Atrial thrombosis 11. Contraindication to antithrombotic therapy 12. Life expectancy \< 1 year 13. Uncontrolled active infection 14. Pregnant, lactating, or women of childbearing potential planning pregnancy in the near future 15. Currently participating in another drug or medical device clinical trial 16. Investigator deems the patient unsuitable for this trial