Kochi: Acute heart failure a major healthcare challenge: Study

Kochi: Acute heart failure is emerging as the biggest healthcare challenge among various cardiac diseases prevalent in Kerala, according to a recent study conducted by the Cardiology Society of India (CSI), Kerala chapter. While the world average age of hospital admission with heart failure is 70, Kerala registers more patients over the age of 60.

While 7% of patients admitted with heart failure die while in hospital, 11% die within the next three months. During the initial three month period after diagnosis, 11% of patients are re-admitted to the hospital with consequences of heart failure illness, the study found.

The major problem is that only 28% of patients received the recommended medications —guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT). Those receiving the recommended medicines (GDMT) had better survival. A negligible, less than 2% of patients, had device aided therapy. A major obstacle to treatment is lack of awareness and financial support, the study noted.

Named “The Cardiological Society of India-Kerala Acute Heart Failure Registry (CSI-KHFR)”, the study was conducted after establishing an observational registry with prospective follow up from 50 hospitals with a cardiology facility in Kerala. More than 7,500 patients with acute heart failure participated in the study that is published in the European Heart Journal.

In Kerala, two-thirds of patients had coronary artery disease (heart attack) induced heart failure and a majority of them had a history of diabetes and hypertension. Heart failure is different from heart attack. While heart attacks are due to the blockage of arteries that supply blood to heart muscles, heart failure is the net result of many cardiac illnesses, which causes weakness of the heart's ability to pump blood around the body to nourish the body cells. Heart attacks form only one of the leading causes of heart failure.