Analysis of the Clinical and Epidemiological Profile of Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction in a Hospital in Southern Santa Catarina

Abstract

Background

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) accounts for approximately half of all heart failure hospitalizations, negatively impacts patients’ functional capacity and quality of life, and is associated with high financial costs in health care.

Objectives

To analyze the clinical and epidemiological profile of patients with heart failure with HFrEF in a hospital in southern Santa Catarina in the year 2023.

Methods

147 patients with HFrEF were evaluated in a reference hospital in southern Santa Catarina. The data were collected through electronic medical records from which information such as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), sex, age, race/color, weight, height, medications in use, and associated conditions was extracted.

Results

The mean age of the study population was 68.14 ± 12.88 years. Males represented 57.8% of the patients, and 88.4% were white. Of the total, 25.5% presented some degree of obesity. Systemic arterial hypertension was observed in 68.7%, diabetes mellitus in 56.5%, and ischemic cardiomyopathies in 31.3% of the individuals. The mean LVEF value was 28.54 ± 6.72%. The recommended triple pharmacological therapy was present in 45.6% of the individuals, while the association with iSGLT2 was observed in 34.8%.

Conclusions

It was possible to identify the clinical and epidemiological profile of the study population and, above all, to highlight that more than half of this population was not using optimized drug therapy. Therefore, the importance of clinical and epidemiological data for reviewing and optimizing patient management is emphasized.