Profil épidémiologique et pronostic de l’insuffisance cardiaque aiguë: expérience du service d’accueil des urgences de l’hôpital Charles Nicole de Tunis de 2013 à 2014

INTRODUCTION: Acute Heart Failure (AHF) is a specific syndromic disorder grouping several heterogeneous clinical conditions frequently seen in the emergency department. This study aimed to describe the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and prognostic features of patients with AHF admitted to the emergency department. METHODS: We conducted a prospective, descriptive study in the emergency department. It included all patients admitted with AHF. We studied the epidemiological, clinical, therapeutic and prognostic features of these patients. RESULTS: The study enrolled 180 patients with AHF admitted to the emergency department. Sex ratio was 1.27. The average age of patients was 66±12 years. Eighty-two percent of patients were hypertensive and 69% were known diabetic patients. The causes of decompensation included primarily hypertensive crisis (61.7% of patients), acute coronary syndrome (24% of patients). Respiratory support was mainly provided by CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) in 73.3% of cases. Pharmacological treatment was based on nitrate derivatives (70% of cases) and diuretic (40.5% of cases). Acute heart failure incidence at one month was 21.7% (n=39 patients) and mortality rate at 3 months was 13.3%. CONCLUSION: Patients with AHF treated in the emergency department mainly had hypertensive crisis. Treatment is primarily based on CPAP, vasodilators and diuretics. Recurrence rate and mortality rate were high.