Key result
Emergency heart failure care relies heavily on sodium restriction, with ~95% of patients prescribed it.
Why the study?
The prescription patterns and effectiveness of non-pharmacological management in patients with decompensated heart failure attending emergency care were not well described.
What are the prescription rates and execution effectiveness of non-pharmacological management in patients with decompensated heart failure admitted to the emergency department?
Cross-Sectional (n=256)
No
What are the prescription rates and execution effectiveness of non-pharmacological management in patients with decompensated heart failure admitted to the emergency department?
Non-pharmacological management strategies for decompensated heart failure, other than sodium restriction, are under-prescribed and poorly executed in the emergency department setting.
Gaps in ED non-pharmacological HF care beyond sodium restriction warrant attention; leaves open outcome impact in prospective studies.
This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the prescription of non-pharmacological management of patients with heart failure attending the emergency care of a hospital and the effectiveness of the practice. 256 patients aged 63 ± 13 years, 153 (60%) men, participated in the research. The most commonly prescribed non-pharmacological treatment was sodium restriction, 240 (95%), followed by weight control, 135 (53%). Fluid restriction and fluid balance were the least commonly prescribed treatments, 95 (37%) and 72 (28%), respectively. Only 38 (54%) of balances, 89 (67%) of weight controls and 69 (57%) of diuresis controls were performed. Concerning patients' previous knowledge of the treatments, 229 (90%) were advised to restrict salt intake, and 163 (64%) were advised to restrict fluid intake. Weight control was the least commonly known care, 117 (46%). Except for salt control, the other treatments were prescribed in slightly more than half of the samples, and were ineffective.
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Linhares et al. (2010) conducted a cross-sectional in Decompensated heart failure (n=256). Non-pharmacological management was evaluated on Prescription and effectiveness of non-pharmacological management. Non-pharmacological management for heart failure in emergency care consisted mostly of sodium restriction (95%), while other treatments like weight control (53%) were prescribed less and ineffective.
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