Why the study?
What is the prevalence of true left ventricular systolic dysfunction among patients treated for presumptive heart failure in primary care?
Population
128 patients from a single practice population receiving loop diuretics for presumptive cardiac failure.
Design
Cross-sectional
Authors
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May signal overdiagnosis of heart failure in primary care; leaves open the value of early echocardiography to confirm diagnoses.
What is the prevalence of true left ventricular systolic dysfunction among patients treated for presumptive heart failure in primary care?
Nearly half of patients treated for presumptive heart failure in primary care have a false-positive diagnosis, highlighting the critical need for early echocardiography to confirm the diagnosis.
MacDonald et al. (1993) studied this question.
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