title: Decompensated heart failure: symptoms, patterns of onset, and contributing factors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the time course, contributing factors, and patient responses to decompensated heart failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied consecutive patients admitted to a public general hospital with a diagnosis of heart failure. Using a timeline follow-back technique, a nurse interviewer administered a questionnaire shortly after admission, exploring knowledge of a heart failure diagnosis, the symptoms and time course of decompensation, and patient responses to worsening symptoms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 87 patients, 83 (95%) consented to be interviewed. Only 49 (59%) were aware of the diagnosis of heart failure. Symptoms associated with decompensation included dyspnea in 81 patients (98%), edema in 64 patients (77%), and weight gain in 34 patients (41%). Onset of worsening of these symptoms was noted a mean (+/- SD) of 12.4 +/-1.4 days before admission for edema, 11.3 +/-1.6 days for weight gain, and 8.4 +/- 0.9 days for dyspnea. Forty-two patients (57%) reported missing or skipping medication because of various factors, particularly missed outpatient appointments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using a timeline follow-back interview, we identified a period of days to weeks between the onset of worsening symptoms and hospital admission for heart failure decompensation. This pattern suggests that there is a time window between symptom exacerbation and admission during which earlier access and intervention might prevent hospitalization in these patients. Medication lapses continue to be an important preventable cause of decompensation leading to admission.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Cook County Hospital, 1900 W. Polk, Room 901-AX, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. gdschiff@aol.com
authors.forename: Gordon D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Schiff
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.forename: Theodore
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Speroff
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: McNutt
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010343:Patient Admission; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016312:Treatment Refusal