Precipitating Factors for Hospitalization with Heart Failure: Prevalence and Clinical Impact Observations from the Gulf CARE (Gulf aCute heArt failuRe rEgistry)

Role of Pro-BNP in predicting outcome in acute heart failure patient presenting to a medical emergency: An observational study from North India

Background

Acute heart failure (AHF) is a clinical syndrome defined as the new onset or acutely decompensated heart failure (ADHF) leading to signs and symptoms of heart failure (HF). The critical cut-off values for these biomarkers that suggest high mortality are not clearly defined in previous studies. More studies are required to better understand the correlation of Pro- BNP and its association with HF. The primary objective is to study the role of Pro-BNP and critical factors in predicting outcomes in AHF patients presenting to a medical emergency.

Materials and Methods

The data from the patients presented with symptoms of HF in the Department of Medical Emergency at our hospital were recorded and analysed. AHF is a clinical syndrome defined as the new onset or ADHF leading to signs and symptoms of HF, as based on the European Society of Cardiology.

Results

The present study highlights the various risk factors of AHF in patients and their association with mortality. In the present study, mortality in patients with very high Pro-BNP levels ≥2000 pg/ml was significantly higher than in patients with moderately elevated Pro-BNP. The patients who survived after 5 days of hospitalization had Pro-BNP levels ≤2000 pg/ml, suggesting that very high Pro-BNP levels ≥2000 pg/ml are associated with fatal outcomes.

Conclusion

To conclude, diabetes and sepsis are critical factors for the hospitalization and mortality of patients with AHF in northern India. Very high Pro-BNP levels ≥2000 pg/ml in patients with AHF requiring hospitalization and associated with fatal outcomes.

Infection as an under-recognized precipitant of acute heart failure: prognostic and therapeutic implications

As the prevalence of heart failure (HF) continues to rise, prompt diagnosis and management of various medical conditions, which may lead to HF exacerbation and result in poor patient outcomes, are of paramount importance. Infection has been identified as a common, though under-recognized, precipitating factor of acute heart failure (AHF), which can cause rapid development or deterioration of HF signs and symptoms. Available evidence indicates that infection-related hospitalizations of patients with AHF are associated with higher mortality, protracted length of stay, and increased readmission rates. Understanding the intricate interaction of both clinical entities may provide further therapeutic strategies to prevent the occurrence of cardiac complications and improve prognosis of patients with AHF triggered by infection. The purpose of this review is to investigate the incidence of infection as a causative factor in AHF, explore its prognostic implications, elucidate the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, and highlight the basic principles of the initial diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in the emergency department.

The predictive value of precipitating factors on clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with decompensated heart failure: insights from the Egyptian cohort in the European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure long-term registry

BACKGROUND

Knowledge of the frequency of precipitating factors for acute heart failure (AHF) is important (either new-onset heart failure [NOHF] or worsening heart failure [WHF]), as this can guide strategies for prevention and treatment. Most data come only from Western Europe and North America; nevertheless, geographic differences do exist. We set out to study the prevalence of precipitating factors of AHF and their connection to patient characteristics and in-hospital and long-term mortality in patients from Egypt hospitalized for decompensated HF. Using the ESC-HF-LT Registry which is a prospective, multicenter, observational study of patients confessed to cardiology centers in the nations of Europe and the Mediterranean, patients presenting with AHF were recruited from 20 centers all over Egypt. Enrolling physicians were requested to report possible precipitants from among several predefined reasons.

RESULTS

We included 1515 patients (mean age 60 ± 12 years, 69% males). The mean LVEF was 38 ± 11%. Seventy-seven percent of the total population had HFrEF, 9.8% had HFmrEF, and 13.3% had HFpEF. The commonly reported precipitating factors for AHF hospitalization among study population were as follows (in decreasing order of frequency): infection in 30.3% of patients, acute coronary syndrome/myocardial ischemia (ACS/MI) in 26%, anemia in 24.3%, uncontrolled hypertension in 24.2%, atrial fibrillation (AF) in 18.3%, renal dysfunction in 14.6%, and non-compliance in 6.5% of patients. HFpEF patients had significantly higher rates of AF, uncontrolled hypertension, and anemia as precipitants for acute decompensation. ACS/MI were significantly more frequent in patients with HFmrEF. WHF patients had significantly higher rates of infection and non-compliance, whereas new-onset HF patients showed significantly higher rates of ACS/MI and uncontrolled hypertension. One-year follow-up revealed that patients with HFrEF had a significantly higher rate of mortality compared to patients with HFmrEF and HFpEF (28.3%, 19.5, and 19.4%, P = 0.004). Patients with WHF had a significantly higher rates of 1-year mortality when compared to those with NOHF (30.0% vs. 20.3%, P < 0.001). Renal dysfunction, anemia, and infection were independently connected to worse long-term survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Precipitating factors of AHF are frequent and substantially influence outcomes after hospitalization. They should be considered goals for avoiding AHF hospitalization and depicting those at highest risk for short-term mortality.

A Pilot Study on Standardized In-hospital Education About Heart Failure Conducted During the First Days After Decompensation

INTRODUCTION

Education addressed to heart failure (HF) patients constitutes an important element of modern comprehensive treatment programs. The present article demonstrates a novel method of standardized in-hospital education addressed to patients admitted due to decompensation in HF.

METHODS

This pilot study was conducted among 20 patients [19 men, age 63 ± 16 years, NYHA (Classification according to New York Heart Association) on admission (II/III/IV): 5/25/70%]. Five-day education was based on individual sessions conducted using colorful boards demonstrating selected, highly practical elements of the knowledge about HF management, prepared by experts in HF management (medical doctors, a psychologist, and a dietician). The level of knowledge about HF was measured before and after education, based on a questionnaire prepared by the authors of the boards.

RESULTS

All patients experienced an improvement of their clinical status (confirmed by reduced New York Heart Association class and body mass, both P < 0.05). Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) confirmed that no one demonstrated cognitive impairment. The score reflecting the level of knowledge about HF improved significantly after 5 days of in-hospital treatment accompanied by education (P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

We showed that the proposed model of education addressed to patients with decompensated HF, conducted using colorful boards demonstrating selected, highly practical elements of the knowledge about HF management, prepared by experts in HF management lead to significant increase of HF-related knowledge.

High Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy in the Emergency Department: Main Benefits in Adults, Pediatric Population and against COVID-19: A Narrative Review

This review aims to summarize the literature’s main results about high flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC) HFNC benefits in the Emergency Department (ED) in adults and pediatrics, including new Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19). HFNC has recently been established as the usual treatment in the ED to provide oxygen support. Its use has been generalized due to its advantages over traditional oxygen therapy devices, including decreased nasopharyngeal resistance, washing out of the nasopharyngeal dead space, generation of positive pressure, increasing alveolar recruitment, easy adaptation due to the humidification of the airways, increased fraction of inspired oxygen and improved mucociliary clearance. A wide range of pathologies has been studied to evaluate the potential benefits of HFNC; some examples are heart failure, pneumonia, chronic pulmonary obstructive disease, asthma, and bronchiolitis. The regular use of this oxygen treatment is not established yet due to the literature’s controversial results. However, several authors suggest that it could be useful in several pathologies that generate acute respiratory failure. Consequently, the COVID-19 irruption has generated the question of HFNC as a safety and effective treatment. Our results suggested that HFNC seems to be a useful tool in the ED, especially in patients affected by acute hypoxemic respiratory failure, acute heart failure, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, asthma and acute respiratory distress syndrome in patients affected by COVID-19. Its benefits in hypercapnic respiratory failure are more discussed, being only observed benefits in patients with mild-moderate disease. These results are based in clinical as well as cost-effectiveness outcomes. Future studies with largest populations are required to confirm these results as well as establish a practical guideline to use this device.

Microalbuminúria e seu Significado Prognóstico em Pacientes com Insuficiência Cardíaca Aguda com Fração de Ejeção Preservada, Intermediária e Reduzida

Fundamento

A prevalência e o significado da microalbuminúria não foram bem estudados em pacientes com diferentes subtipos de insuficiência cardíaca.

Objetivo

A prevalência e o significado da microalbuminúria não foram bem estudados em pacientes com diferentes subtipos de insuficiência cardíaca. Portanto, nosso objetivo foi investigar a frequência e o valor prognóstico da microalbuminúria em pacientes hospitalizados por insuficiência cardíaca aguda (ICA) com fração de ejeção preservada (ICFEp), fração de ejeção de faixa média (ICFEfm) e fração de ejeção reduzida (ICFEr).

Métodos

Todos os pacientes adultos consecutivos encaminhados ao hospital devido a ICA entre junho de 2016 e junho de 2019 foram inscritos. A microalbuminúria é definida como o nível de albumina urinária para relação de creatinina (AURC) na faixa de 30–300 mg/g. A mortalidade hospitalar foi o critério de valoração deste estudo.

Resultados

Dos 426 pacientes com ICA (idade média de 70,64 ± 10,03 anos, 53,3% do sexo feminino), 50% tinham ICFEr, 38,3% tinham ICFEp e 11,7% tinham ICFEfm na apresentação. A prevalência de microalbuminúria foi de 35,2%, 28,8% e 28,0% em ICFEr, ICFEp e ICFEfm, respectivamente. Um total de 19 (4,5%) pacientes morreram durante o curso intra-hospitalar, e a mortalidade intra-hospitalar foi maior em pacientes com ICFEr (6,6%) em comparação com pacientes com ICFEr (2,5%) e ICFEfm (2,0%). A análise multivariada mostrou que a presença de microalbuminúria previu mortalidade intra-hospitalar em pacientes com ICFEr e ICFEfm, mas não em ICFEp.

Conclusão

Embora a microalbuminúria fosse comum em todos os subgrupos de pacientes com ICA, descobriu-se que ela prediz o prognóstico apenas em pacientes com ICFEr e ICFEfm.