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Published on: June 10, 2025
[Cross-sectional analysis of heart failure among patients in the Internal Medicine Service at a third-level hospital.
S Cinza Sanjurjo1, A Cabarcos Ortiz de Barrón, E Enrique Nieto Pol
1Fundación Pública Urgencias Sanitarias 061 Galicia, Servicio de Medicina Interna, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña. sergiocinza@mundo-r.com
Insights
This study found that heart failure patients admitted to internal medicine had a higher median age and more women than men. Diagnostic testing and guideline-recommended treatments like beta-blockers were underutilized.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Internal Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Heart failure is a significant cause of hospitalization.
- Understanding the characteristics of admitted patients is crucial for optimizing care.
- Previous studies have highlighted variations in diagnostic and treatment patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the epidemiologic characteristics of heart failure patients admitted to an internal medicine department over a five-year period.
- To analyze the diagnostic workup and treatment patterns in this patient cohort.
- To identify potential gaps in adherence to clinical guidelines.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1999 to 2003.
- Data on 248 heart failure patients were analyzed, including demographics, comorbidities, admission reasons, diagnostic procedures, and treatments.
- Statistical analyses included qualitative and quantitative measures, chi-squared tests, t-tests, and multivariate analyses.
Main Results:
- The study included 248 patients, with a higher proportion of women (55.2%) and a median age of 79 years.
- Hypertension (41.8%), diabetes mellitus (30.9%), and pre-existing heart disease (81.9%) were common comorbidities.
- Dyspnea was the most frequent presenting symptom (68.9%). Echocardiography was performed in only 20.9% of patients, and the use of beta-blockers was low (0.9%).
Conclusions:
- The study revealed suboptimal utilization of echocardiography and guideline-recommended medications, such as beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors/ARBs, in heart failure patients admitted to internal medicine.
- These findings suggest a need for improved adherence to established clinical guidelines for heart failure management.
- Further research may be warranted to explore barriers to guideline implementation and to improve patient outcomes.
Objectives:
To observe the epidemiologic characteristics of the patients intake during five years in a internal medicine department, with heart failure.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study of the intake patients in the Internal Medicine Service in the Hospital Clínico Universitario de Santiago de Compostela between 1999 to 2003. The variables analized were: sex, age, days of hospital stay, number of intake by failure cardiac, reason for admission (guide symptom), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiac disease, fibrillation atrium, previous treatment with beta-blockers, blood pressure in the admission moment, to make echocardiography, disfunction systolic, etiology, deceased, treatment at the end. The statistical analysis was performed with qualitative and quantitative measures, chi-cuadrado and t-student, and multivariant analyses.
Results:
248 patients were accepted for the study. We observed more women than men (55.2%) and bigger median age (79 years old vs. 73 years old in men, p < 0.001). The mean income was 13.61 days and a median of 11 days. The 41,8% of the patients had hypertension, 30.9% diabetes mellitus and 81,9% had someone heart disease. The aetiologies of heart failure most frequent were ischemic cardiopathy (27.2%) and hypertension (24.2%). The most frequent symptom was the dyspnea (68.9%). It made echocardiography in 20.9% of patients and 45.1% showed systolic disfunction. The only factor related with this small percentage of echocardiographies was the incoming time. The most frequent etiology was respiratory infections (39.5%). The 8.6% of patients was deceased. The pharmacologic treatment more prescribed were the diuretics (86.9%) and transcutaneous nitrates (49.5%). It was indicated ECAI or AAR-II in the 86.9% of patients and beta-blockers in 0.9%.
Conclusions:
The number of echocardiograms practiced to the patients is smaller that the number advised by international associations and smaller to the cardiologist registers. The beta-blockers and ECAI use is smaller too.
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