Drug treatment of heart failure patients in a general Romanian hospital

It is very well known that in clinical practice, according to the published guidelines, the heart failure patients are undertreated. There are striking differences in applying the guidelines in various countries and, up to the present, there are no consistent data for Romania.

There were studied 459 heart failure patients admitted in the Cardiology Department of a general hospital in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. They were evaluated from the point of view of the drugs used during hospitalization and recommended to be taken after discharge.

The patients, 393 males and 66 females, aged 61+9 years (lower in comparison with other countries) were included in NYHA III and IV class, except 3%, in NYHA II class. The ischemic etiology was registered in 56% of the patients. Drug treatment was as follows: diuretics--86.98%, ACEI--77.77%, beta blockers--55.95, ARB's--7%, digoxin--51.63%, aldosterone antagonists--49%, nitrates--61.28%, statins--24%, antithrombotic therapy--60% (antiplatelet--45.75%, anticoagulants--28.5%), antiarrythmics--27.91% (mainly amiodarone). In comparison with other European countries, the use of RAAS antagonists is similar, there are more beta blockers and nitrates used, but there is less use of antithrombotic therapy (especially anticoagulation) and of statins.

Even though Romania still belongs to the group of developing countries, the drug treatment of heart failure patients does not much differ from the treatment applied in developed countries.