Heart Failure Patients in North India: Clinical Profile and Treatment Outcomes

Strategic Insights -

A new study published in the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care has provided insights into the clinical profile, treatment patterns, and one-year outcomes of heart failure patients admitted to a tertiary care hospital in North India. The prospective observational study, conducted over two years, included 264 patients with a mean age of 57.8 years. The most common causes of heart failure were dilated cardiomyopathy and ischemic heart disease, with hypertension, tobacco use, anemia, and diabetes being the most prevalent risk factors.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that 62% of patients had heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, while 34.5% had acute de novo heart failure.
  • The most common precipitants for heart failure exacerbation were infections, followed by ischemic causes and non-adherence to medications.
  • The mean duration of hospital stay was 7.5 days, with an in-hospital mortality rate of 8.7%.
  • The cumulative six-month and one-year mortality rates were 23% and 28%, respectively.
  • Multivariate analysis revealed that renal failure, readmission, and not being on guideline-directed medical treatment were significant predictors of mortality.
  • Infections and ischemic causes were the most common precipitants of heart failure exacerbation.
  • Patients were predominantly males, with dilated and ischemic cardiomyopathy being the most common etiologies of heart failure.
  • Hypertension and tobacco smoking were the most common risk factors, with only one-third of patients being on guideline-directed medical therapy.

Statistics:

  • 264 patients were recruited for the study.
  • The mean age of the study population was 57.8 ± 15.14 years.
  • Males accounted for 59.5% of the study population.
  • Dilated cardiomyopathy was the most common cause, followed by ischemic heart disease.
  • Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction was present in 154 (62%) patients.
  • Acute de novo heart failure was present in 91 (34.5%) patients.
  • The mean duration of hospital stay was 7.5 ± 3.1 days.
  • The in-hospital mortality rate was 8.7%.
  • The cumulative six-month mortality rate was 23%.
  • The cumulative one-year mortality rate was 28%.
  • 34.5% of patients had acute de novo heart failure.

Sources:

  • "Clinical profile, treatment patterns and one-year outcome of heart failure patients admitted in tertiary care hospital of North India." Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 2024,13(8). (Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care - http://www.jfmpc.com/).
  • Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS)
  • Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) press release: "Researcher at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Has Published New Data on Heart Failure (Clinical profile, treatment patterns and one-year outcome of heart failure patients admitted in tertiary care hospital of North India)." Health & Medicine Week. August 23, 2024; p 5835.