Why the study?
Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction remains underdiagnosed in primary care settings lacking echocardiography, necessitating a screening tool without echocardiographic variables.
Does the BREATH2 score accurately screen for HFpEF in patients with shortness of breath in primary care?
Does the BREATH2 score accurately screen for HFpEF in patients with shortness of breath in primary care?
The BREATH2 score provides a non-echocardiographic tool to screen for HFpEF in primary care, aiding in appropriate referral for further evaluation.
BACKGROUND: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) remains underdiagnosed in primary care settings, where echocardiography is not available. This study aimed to develop and validate a scoring system that does not include echocardiographic variables for HFpEF screening among patients with shortness of breath. METHODS: A total of 622 consecutive patients referred for exercise stress echocardiography were evaluated (283 HFpEF and 339 controls). Diagnosis of HFpEF was determined by the HFA-PEFF algorithm Steps 2-3. RESULTS: score classified each patient into different risk categories of having HFpEF, ranging from 4 % to 93 %. CONCLUSIONS: score can be an effective screening tool in primary care settings to help refer patients to a secondary hospital for further evaluation.
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Saito et al. (2025) studied this question.
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