Introduction: Heart failure is one of the leading cardiovascular diseases, associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality. It is defined as a clinical syndrome caused by damage to the heart that impairs its ability to pump blood. According to data from the World Health Organization, approximately 5.7 million people fall ill with heart failure every year. In Croatia, heart failure is among the ten leading causes of death, with an estimated number of patients between 65 and 75 thousand. The aim of this research was to examine the frequency of heart failure as an indication for admission to the General Hospital and the Ogulin Homeland War Veterans Hospital and to determine the basic epidemiological characteristics of patients.Objective: The main objective of the research is to determine the frequency of heart failure as an indication for treatment in the General Hospital and the Ogulin Homeland War Veterans Hospital. Materials and methods: A retrospective analysis of data from the hospital's IT system was carried out, which included all patients treated under the diagnosis of heart failure in the Ogulin General Hospital in the period from January 1, 2014 until 31.12.2023. Results: Out of a total of 33,811 patients who were treated in the General Hospital and the Hospital of Veterans of the Homeland War in Ogulin, 441 patients (1.3%) were diagnosed with heart failure, the proportion of women was 65.3%. Heart failure was most prevalent in the age group from 70 to 79 years with 154 (34.9%) patients and in the age group from 80 to 89 years with 173 (39.3%) patients. In the winter period, a total of 153 (34.7%) were processed, which is statistically significantly more than in other seasons (χ^2=5.00, p=0.287). 38.1% of patients with heart failure were transported to other hospital centers. Conclusion: Improving the treatment of patients with heart failure in rural areas requires an integrated approach that includes the improvement of health infrastructure, education, and the use of advanced technologies.