ACUTE HEART FAILURE

FREQUENCY OF THE MAJOR PRECIPITATING FACTORS AMONG THE PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH ACUTE HEART FAILURE

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the frequency of the major precipitating factors
among the patients presenting with acute heart failure. Study Design: Cross sectional study.
Setting: Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology, Faisalabad. Period: July 2014 to January 2015.
Materials and Methods: 190 patients of acute heart failure were included after obtaining
informed consent from emergency department. Patients from age of 25 years to 80 years and
of either sex either diabetic or non-diabetic were enrolled in study. ECG and CXR were taken
in emergency with baseline investigations. Precipitating cause was identified from collected
history, clinical examination and ECG, CXR and lab results. Results: Mean age of these patients
were 54.4 + 8.92, 100 (52.6%) were male, 90 (47.4%) were females, 88 patients (46.3%) were
diabetic, 102 patients (53.68%) were non-diabetic and 124 (65.3%) had previous history of heart
failure and 66 (34.7%) had no past history of heart failure. ACS was the common precipitating
factor of Acute Heart Failure ( 31.57% ) among all the patients of the study with non-compliance
of drugs 27.9% , arrhythmias 17.9% uncontrolled hypertension 17.36% and infections 5.3%.
Conclusion: Young, male, diabetics and patients with history of chronic HF suffered more from
AHF. ACS was the most common precipitating factor while in patients with de novo Acute Heart
Failure; it was ACS and non-compliance with drugs.