Introduction. Heart failure (HF) is a serious condition with a high mortality rate. It affects patients’ quality of life and is responsible for numerous hospitalizations. The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence of hospitalizations for HF in 2008, describe the patient population, and identify recent trends. Methods. Data were extracted from the national PMSI-MCO databases for the years 2002–2008. We selected hospital stays with a residence code in France and a primary diagnosis of HF (ICD-10 code: I50), as well as hospital stays with a secondary diagnosis of HF and a primary diagnosis of cardio(nephro)pathy with heart failure (I110, I130, I132, I139), acute pulmonary edema (J81), or cardiac liver disease (K761). The first annual hospital stay for each patient was included. Annual rates of individuals hospitalized for HF were standardized to the French population (1999). Results. In 2008, 148,292 patients were hospitalized for HF (mean age: 78.8 years). In-hospital mortality during the first stay was 7.5%, and 20.9% of patients were rehospitalized within the year for HF. The crude rate of hospitalized patients was 230.9 per 100,000 and increased with age (32.4 per 100,000 before age 65, 1,230.9 after age 65). The standardized rate was significantly higher for men than for women (260.5 versus 155.9 per 100,000). Between 2002 and 2008, the number of hospitalized patients increased by 14.4%, the crude rate by 9.7%, but the standardized rates changed little (2.7%). Discussion and conclusion. Heart failure is a common cause of hospitalization, and its prevalence is increasing as the population ages. However, a longer-term perspective will be necessary to confirm the currently non-significant trend in standardized hospitalization rates. (R.A.)