[Etiology, clinical features, precipitating factors, type of ventricular dysfunction, length of stay and mortality of 305 patients admitted to hospital because of heart failure].

OBJECTIVE

To study the etiology, precipitating factors, clinic features, patterns of ventricular disfunction, treatment, hospital length of stay and mortality of patients admitted to hospital because of heart failure.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

It's a prospective study of 305 patients with heart failure admitted consecutively in a short stay unit.

RESULTS

The mean age was 73.6 +/- 10.8 years. 50.5% were women and 49.5% men. Women (76.5 +/- 9.7 years) were older than men (70.5 +/- 11.0 years). The etiology was valvular heart disease 30.8%, hypertensive heart disease 26.2%, ischemic heart disease 21.6%, idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy 8.2% and alcoholic cardiomyopathy 5.6%. The more frequent precipitating factors were respiratory infection (37.3%) and arrhythmias (28.7%). No precipitating factor was detected in 13.9%. 46.1% had systolic disfunction (erection fraction < 50%). 96.7% were treated with diuretics, 79.3% with ACE inhibitors and 51.9% with digoxin. 5.3% needed cardiac surgery. Mean length of stay was 5.64 days. In hospital mortality was 5.6%.