[The appropriate use of pharmacological treatment in patients with chronic heart failure. A perspective from Primary...

The appropriate use of pharmacological treatment according to the indications in Clinical Guidelines reduces morbidity and mortality in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). There are numerous studies regarding this in the hospital environment, but there are few studies done in Primary Care. The objective of this study is to evaluate the degree of compliance by Primary Care doctors to the Clinical Guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology in patients with CHF.

A descriptive, observational study on the use of indication-prescription drugs was conducted.

Primary Care teams of the Leon Health Area (9 urban and 19 rural). The study population included patients with a diagnosis of New York Heart Association (NYHA) Grade II-IV chronic heart failure, from a register of 2047 with chronic heart failure patients treated by 97 Primary Care doctors. A proportional representative random sample of 474 patients from the urban and rural areas was studied.

Adherence to the drugs recommended in the Clinical Guidelines was evaluated using two indicators; one overall, and another for drugs with a higher level of evidence (A1: angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors-angiotensin II receptor antagonists [ACE-I/ARA-II], β-blockers [BB] and spironolactone).

A total of 456 patients were studied, with a mean age of 78.4 years, and 53.1% females. Arterial hypertension (AHT) and ischaemic heart disease were present in 64.7% of patients. The mean comorbidity rate, excluding CHF, was 2.9. Around 40% were diagnosed a NYHA Grade 11-1V. The overall compliance rate (diuretics, ACE-I/ARA-II, β-blockers, spironolactone, digoxin, and oral anticoagulants) and rate of adherence to evidence-based ones was 55.2% and 44.6%, respectively. There was low compliance by 39.5%, and only 12.9% of patients showed perfect compliance with the drugs with a higher level of evidence, while to be less than 70 years-old, a history of ischaemia, AHT, and a hospital admission, were variables associated with better adherence to treatment.

There is a low use of the drugs recommended by the Clinical Guidelines for heart failure, particularly of those with better evidence for reducing morbidity and mortality.