AccScience Publishing / EJMO / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/EJMO026050060
Submit to EJMO
Cite this article
4
Download
50
Views
Journal Browser
Volume | Year
Issue
Search
Forthcoming Issue
Current Issue
View All
News and Announcements
View All
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Clinical and laboratory profiles of acute heart failure patients at Saigon General Hospital: A cross-sectional study

Phan Thai Hao1* ,  Mai Duc Huy2 ,  Phung Nguyen Quan2
Show Less
1 Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
2 Department of Internal Medicine, Gia Dinh People’s Hospital, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
EJMO, 026050060 https://doi.org/10.36922/EJMO026050060
Received: 1 February 2026 | Revised: 24 February 2026 | Accepted: 9 March 2026 | Published online: 23 April 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Download PDF
XML
Cite
Abstract

Introduction: Acute heart failure (AHF) is a multifaceted clinical syndrome that commonly necessitates urgent hospitalization and remains associated with considerable in-hospital mortality. Despite improvements in emergency care, AHF continues to account for a significant proportion of admissions at Saigon General Hospital.

Objective: This study sought to characterize the clinical and paraclinical profiles of patients admitted with AHF and identify factors associated with unfavorable in-hospital outcomes, to facilitate early risk stratification and improve therapeutic strategies.

Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted, including 177 patients with AHF admitted to the Emergency and Intensive Care Department of Saigon General Hospital from April 1 to October 31, 2025. Data collected included demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, underlying comorbidities, laboratory parameters, imaging findings, and echocardiographic measurements. Statistical analysis was conducted to evaluate clinical patterns and associated outcomes.

Results: The mean age of participants was 72.1 years, with male predominance. Dyspnea was the most prevalent presenting symptom (88.6%), whereas a third heart sound was infrequently detected (23.8%). Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 113 ± 34 mmHg and 67 ± 15 mmHg, respectively. Chest radiography most frequently demonstrated cardiomegaly (51.0%), pulmonary congestion (13.7%), and pleural effusion (6.1%). The mean N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide concentration was 7,539.02 ± 491.53 pg/mL, and the mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 41.5 ± 6.9%. Ischemic heart disease was identified as the principal etiology (58.2%), followed by cardiomyopathy (14.7%), while congenital heart disease (1.1%) and myocarditis (0.6%) were uncommon causes. The leading precipitating factors were medication non-adherence (19.2%), infections (17.5%), and acute coronary syndrome (17.5%).

Conclusion: Ischemic heart disease emerged as the predominant cause of AHF. Medication non-adherence, infections, and acute coronary syndrome were the most common triggers of decompensation. These findings underscore the necessity for early recognition of high-risk individuals and emphasize the role of patient education and optimized management in improving in-hospital outcomes.

Keywords
Diabetes mellitus
Microalbuminuria
In-hospital outcomes
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
  1. McDonagh TA, Metra M, Adamo M, et al. 2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure. Eur Heart J. 2021;42(36):3599-3726. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehab368
  2. McDonagh TA, Metra M, Adamo M, et al. 2023 Focused Update of the 2021 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure: Developed by the task force for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) With the special contribution of the Heart Failure Association (HFA) of the ESC. Eur Heart J. 2023;44(37):3627-3639. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad195
  3. Roger VL. Epidemiology of heart failure. Circ Res. 2013;113(6):646-659. doi: 10.1161/circresaha.113.300268
  4. Brouwers FP, de Boer RA, van der Harst P, et al. Incidence and epidemiology of new onset heart failure with preserved vs. reduced ejection fraction in a community-based cohort: 11-year follow-up of PREVEND. Eur Heart J. 2013;34(19):1424-1431. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/eht066
  5. Savarese G, Lund LH. Global Public Health Burden of Heart Failure. Card Fail Rev. 2017;3(1):7-11. doi: 10.15420/cfr.2016:25:2
  6. Dunlay SM, Roger VL. Understanding the epidemic of heart failure: past, present, and future. Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2014;11(4):404-415. doi: 10.1007/s11897-014-0220-x
  7. Mosterd A, Hoes AW. Clinical epidemiology of heart failure. Heart. 2007;93(9):1137-1146. doi: 10.1136/hrt.2003.025270
  8. van Riet EE, Hoes AW, Limburg A, Landman MA, van der Hoeven H, Rutten FH. Prevalence of unrecognized heart failure in older persons with shortness of breath on exertion. Eur J Heart Fail. 2014;16(7):772-777. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.110
  9. Farmakis D, Parissis J, Lekakis J, Filippatos G. Acute heart failure: Epidemiology, risk factors, and prevention. Rev Esp Cardiol (Engl Ed). 2015;68(3):245-248. doi: 10.1016/j.rec.2014.11.004
  10. Yancy CW, Jessup M, Bozkurt B, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Heart Failure Society of America. Circulation. 2017;136(6):e137-e161. doi: 10.1161/cir.0000000000000509
  11. Atherton JJ, Hayward CS, Wan Ahmad WA, et al. Patient characteristics from a regional multicenter database of acute decompensated heart failure in Asia Pacific (ADHERE International-Asia Pacific). J Card Fail. 2012;18(1):82-88. doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2011.09.003
  12. Shah RU, Klein L, Lloyd-Jones DM. Heart failure in women: epidemiology, biology and treatment. Womens Health (Lond). 2009;5(5):517-527. doi: 10.2217/whe.09.50
  13. van Riet EE, Hoes AW, Wagenaar KP, Limburg A, Landman MA, Rutten FH. Epidemiology of heart failure: the prevalence of heart failure and ventricular dysfunction in older adults over time. A systematic review. Eur J Heart Fail. 2016;18(3):242-252. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.483
  14. Rastogi A, Novak E, Platts AE, Mann DL. Epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical outcomes for heart failure patients with a mid-range ejection fraction. Eur J Heart Fail. 2017;19(12):1597-1605. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.879
  15. Oudejans I, Mosterd A, Bloemen JA, et al. Clinical evaluation of geriatric outpatients with suspected heart failure: value of symptoms, signs, and additional tests. Eur J Heart Fail. 2011;13(5):518-527. doi: 10.1093/eurjhf/hfr021
  16. Spinar J, Parenica J, Vitovec J, et al. Baseline characteristics and hospital mortality in the Acute Heart Failure Database (AHEAD) Main registry. Crit Care. 2011;15(6):R291. doi: 10.1186/cc10584
  17. Nieminen MS, Brutsaert D, Dickstein K, et al. EuroHeart Failure Survey II (EHFS II): a survey on hospitalized acute heart failure patients: description of population. Eur Heart J. 2006;27(22):2725-2736. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehl193
  18. Lee DS, Straus SE, Farkouh ME, et al. Trial of an Intervention to Improve Acute Heart Failure Outcomes. N Engl J Med. 2023;388(1):22-32. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2211680
  19. Bleumink GS, Knetsch AM, Sturkenboom MC, et al. Quantifying the heart failure epidemic: prevalence, incidence rate, lifetime risk and prognosis of heart failure The Rotterdam Study. Eur Heart J. 2004;25(18):1614-1619. doi: 10.1016/j.ehj.2004.06.038
  20. Fonarow GC, Abraham WT, Albert NM, et al. Organized Program to Initiate Lifesaving Treatment in Hospitalized Patients with Heart Failure (OPTIMIZE-HF): rationale and design. Am Heart J. 2004;148(1):43-51. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2004.03.004
  21. Maggioni AP, Dahlström U, Filippatos G, et al. EURObservational Research Programme: the Heart Failure Pilot Survey (ESC-HF Pilot). Eur J Heart Fail. 2010;12(10):1076-1084. doi: 10.1093/eurjhf/hfq154
  22. Follath F, Yilmaz MB, Delgado JF, et al. Clinical presentation, management and outcomes in the Acute Heart Failure Global Survey of Standard Treatment (ALARM-HF). Intensive Care Med. 2011;37(4):619-626. doi: 10.1007/s00134-010-2113-0
  23. Nkoke C, Damasceno A, Edwards C, et al. Differences in socio-demographic and risk factor profile, clinical presentation, and outcomes between patients with and without RHD heart failure in Sub-Saharan Africa: results from the THESUS-HF registry. Cardiovasc Diagn Ther. 2021;11(4):980-990.doi: 10.21037/cdt-21-112
  24. Siirilä-Waris K, Lassus J, Melin J, Peuhkurinen K, Nieminen MS, Harjola VP. Characteristics, outcomes, and predictors of 1-year mortality in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure. Eur Heart J. 2006;27(24):3011-3017. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehl407
  25. Roger VL, Weston SA, Redfield MM, et al. Trends in heart failure incidence and survival in a community-based population. JAMA. 2004;292(3):344-350. doi: 10.1001/jama.292.3.344
  26. Smeets M, Vaes B, Mamouris P, et al. Burden of heart failure in Flemish general practices: a registry-based study in the Intego database. BMJ Open. 2019;9(1):e022972. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-022972
  27. Mant J, Doust J, Roalfe A, et al. Systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis of diagnosis of heart failure, with modelling of implications of different diagnostic strategies in primary care. Health Technol Assess. 2009;13(32):1-207, iii. doi: 10.3310/hta13320
  28. Sokolska JM, Sokolski M, Zymliński R, et al. Patterns of dyspnoea onset in patients with acute heart failure: clinical and prognostic implications. ESC Heart Fail. 2019;6(1):16- 26. doi: 10.1002/ehf2.12371
  29. Barasa A, Schaufelberger M, Lappas G, Swedberg K, Dellborg M, Rosengren A. Heart failure in young adults: 20-year trends in hospitalization, aetiology, and case fatality in Sweden. Eur Heart J. 2014;35(1):25-32. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/eht278
  30. Dunlay SM, Redfield MM, Weston SA, et al. Hospitalizations after heart failure diagnosis a community perspective. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;54(18):1695-1702. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2009.08.019
  31. Chen J, Hsieh AF, Dharmarajan K, Masoudi FA, Krumholz HM. National trends in heart failure hospitalization after acute myocardial infarction for Medicare beneficiaries: 1998-2010. Circulation. 2013;128(24):2577-2584. doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.113.003668
  32. Hildebrandt P, Collinson PO. Amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide testing to assist the diagnostic evaluation of heart failure in symptomatic primary care patients. Am J Cardiol. 2008;101(3A):25-28. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2007.11.016
  33. Maisel A, Mueller C, Adams K Jr, et al. State of the art: using natriuretic peptide levels in clinical practice. Eur J Heart Fail. 2008;10(9):824-839. doi: 10.1016/j.ejheart.2008.07.014
  34. Gardner RS, Ozalp F, Murday AJ, Robb SD, McDonagh TA. N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide. A new gold standard in predicting mortality in patients with advanced heart failure. Eur Heart J. 2003;24(19):1735-1743. doi: 10.1016/j.ehj.2003.07.005
  35. Roberts E, Ludman AJ, Dworzynski K, et al. The diagnostic accuracy of the natriuretic peptides in heart failure: systematic review and diagnostic meta-analysis in the acute care setting. BMJ. 2015;350:h910. doi: 10.1136/bmj.h910
  36. Mueller C, McDonald K, de Boer RA, et al. Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology practical guidance on the use of natriuretic peptide concentrations. Eur J Heart Fail. 2019;21(6):715-731. doi: 10.1002/ejhf.1494
  37. Vedin O, Lam CS, Koh AS, et al. Significance of ischemic heart disease in patients with heart failure and preserved, midrange, and reduced ejection fraction: a nationwide cohort study. Circ Heart Fail. 2017;10(6):e003875. doi: 10.1161/CIRCHEARTFAILURE.117.003875
  38. Basile C, Paolillo S, Gargiulo P, et al. Sacubitril/valsartan reduces cardiac decompensation in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: a meta-analysis. J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown). 2023;24(1):44-51. doi: 10.2459/jcm.0000000000001411
  39. Kapoor JR, Kapoor R, Ju C, et al. Precipitating Clinical Factors, Heart Failure Characterization, and Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized With Heart Failure With Reduced, Borderline, and Preserved Ejection Fraction. JACC Heart Fail. 2016;4(6):464-472. doi: 10.1016/j.jchf.2016.02.017
  40. Gerber Y, Weston SA, Redfield MM, et al. A contemporary appraisal of the heart failure epidemic in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 2000 to 2010. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175(6):996-1004. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.0924
  41. Tsao CW, Lyass A, Enserro D, et al. Temporal Trends in the Incidence of and Mortality Associated With Heart Failure With Preserved and Reduced Ejection Fraction. JACC Heart Fail. 2018;6(8):678-685. doi: 10.1016/j.jchf.2018.03.006
  42. Motiejūnaitė J, Akiyama E, Cohen-Solal A, et al. The association of long-term outcome and biological sex in patients with acute heart failure from different geographic regions. Eur Heart J. 2020;41(13):1357-1364. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaa071
  43. Dunlay SM, Roger VL, Weston SA, Jiang R, Redfield MM. Longitudinal changes in ejection fraction in heart failure patients with preserved and reduced ejection fraction. Circ Heart Fail. 2012;5(6):720-726. doi: 10.1161/circheartfailure.111.966366

44. Clarke CL, Grunwald GK, Allen LA, et al. Natural history of left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with heart failure. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2013;6(6):680-686. doi: 10.1161/circoutcomes.111.000045

Share
Back to top
Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology, Electronic ISSN: 2587-196X Print ISSN: 2587-2400, Published by AccScience Publishing
We use cookies on our website to ensure you get the best experience.
Read more about our cookies here
Accept