emDOCs
emDOCs Podcast: Episode 51 - April 13, 2022 By Brit Long
Welcome back to emDOCs cast with Brit Long, MD. Today we have the last in the podcast series evaluating acute heart failure: disposition.
Introduction:
- Over 6.2 million patients live with HF in the U.S., and over 8 million cases of HF are projected by 2030.
- More than 90% of patients in AHF present to the emergency department (ED), and over 80% of these patients are hospitalized in the U.S.
- Mortality ranges from 4-12% for admitted patients, which may reach 25% in high-risk patients.
- Disposition can be challenging: multiple comorbidities, different precipitating factors, range of cardiac abnormalities, and presenting signs and symptoms. There are also potential issues with health literacy, self-care, and ability to follow-up for short-term re-evaluation.
- While discharge rates in the U.S. are low, they are higher in other countries (Canada) for heart failure.