Decreased cardiac output: clinical validation in patients with decompensated heart failure.

PURPOSE: Clinically validate (using Fehring's model) characteristics of the nursing diagnosis (ND) of decreased cardiac output (DCO) in 29 patients with decompensated heart failure.

METHODS

Cross-sectional study conducted in a Brazilian university hospital.

FINDINGS: According to the reliability rate (R) between the experts, the major characteristics (R ≥ 0.80) were fatigue, dyspnea, edema, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, and elevated central venous pressure, and the secondary characteristics were weight gain, hepatomegaly, jugular vein distension, palpitations, crackles, oliguria, coughing, clammy skin, and skin color changes.

CONCLUSION

Characteristics with R > 0.50 and ≤1 were valid in the ND of DCO. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NURSING PRACTICE: Clinical validation studies are necessary to determine the adequacy of this diagnosis and its determining characteristics with Taxonomy II.