Insuficiencia cardíaca aguda: Factores asociados con mortalidad. Hospital de San José, julio 2007 - agosto 2008 Bogotá D.C. Colombia.

Introduction: heart failure (HF) is a condition that generates a good number of hospitalizations and whose prevalence has increased in recent decades. However, it has not been possible to define a classification system based on the predictors of poor prognosis in patients who require hospitalization and who could die during it. Objectives: to describe patients with acute heart failure and define what factors may be associated with mortality from decompensated HF in those admitted to the emergency room of the Hospital of San Jose de Bogota. Methods: prospective descriptive study in the period from July 2007 to August 2008, of the patients who admitted with decompensated HF to the emergency service, evaluation of associated factors through a collection instrument and analysis of data through association measures. Results: 129 patients entered the study. A mortality of 4.2% was found in the group with decompensated HF, high creatinine values, high systolic blood pressure and no gender distribution difference. Fifty percent had a diagnosis of coronary heart disease and the most frequent echocardiographic findings showed reduced ejection fraction, diastolic dysfunction and mitral valve insufficiency. Discussion: the results are comparable with the world population, but a longer term follow-up and other variables that have been shown to be associated with the fatal outcome need to be taken into account. Abbreviations: IC, heart failure; EC, coronary disease; ECHO, echocardiogram (s).