Clinical Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Heart Failure Hospitalized in the Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest

Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome that can be determined by any structural or functional cardiac disease that impairs the ability of the left ventricle to fill or eject blood. In developed countries, heart failure is a main cause of morbidity and mortality for adults older than 65 years, the risk of developing heart failure being increased with advancing age. Heart failure hospitalizations are associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Understanding factors that influence clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized for heart failure, particularly the modifiable ones, may be useful for identifying strategies to improve the outcomes of these patients.
The aim of the study was to investigate the clinical characteristics, management and outcomes of patients with chronic heart failure consecutively admitted in the Internal Medicine Clinic of the Clinical Emergency Hospital of Bucharest, during a period of 8 months (1st of January – August 31, 2012).