Echocardiography Parameters and Self-Care Among Patients With Heart Failure
Maria Zakka1, Victoria Alikari1, Dimos Mastrogiannis1
1Department of Nursing, Postgraduate Program "Applied Clinical Nursing", University of West Attica, Athens, GRC.
Cureus
|March 2, 2026
Summary
Echocardiography parameters like left ventricular ejection fraction and E/e
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Medical Imaging
- Patient Self-Care
Background:
- Heart failure (HF) is a clinical syndrome characterized by high morbidity and frequent hospitalizations.
- Echocardiography (cardiac ultrasound) is a noninvasive tool providing detailed cardiac structure and function information.
- Objective echocardiographic parameters may correlate with clinical status and symptom severity in HF patients, potentially indicating risk for poor self-care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between specific echocardiographic parameters and self-care behaviors in patients with heart failure.
- To identify echocardiographic indicators that may predict or reflect the level of self-care in HF patients.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 130 outpatients diagnosed with heart failure.
- Self-care behaviors were assessed using the European Heart Failure Self-care Behaviour Scale (EHFScBS).
- Echocardiographic parameters including left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), E/e' ratio, inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter, and left atrium (LA) diameter were recorded.
Main Results:
- Moderate self-care levels were observed, with a mean EHFScBS score of 25.5±7.3.
- Higher left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) showed a weak positive correlation with better self-care (rho=0.199; p=0.029).
- Poorer self-care was associated with higher E/e' ratio (rho=-0.290; p=0.001), larger inferior vena cava (IVC) diameter (rho=-0.289; p=0.001), and increased left atrium (LA) diameter (rho=-0.305; p=0.001).
Conclusions:
- Echocardiographic parameters are significantly associated with self-care behaviors in heart failure patients.
- Specific echocardiographic findings, such as reduced LVEF and increased E/e' ratio, IVC diameter, and LA diameter, correlate with poorer self-care.
- Understanding these links can guide the development of targeted interventions to enhance self-care and improve outcomes in HF management.
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