title: [Management of heart failure in Piedmont Region].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Congestive heart failure (CHF) represents an emerging problem in industrialized countries: it continues to be diagnosed at high rates and has an decreased survival time, raising new problems, such as the need of an adequate medical service organization and resource expenditure. Aim of this analysis was a quantitative evaluation of diagnostic and therapeutic resource use for CHF in outpatient departments in Piedmont, Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a cross-sectional observational study, based on a two-month data collection in 12 outpatient departments dedicated to congestive heart failure. Information was obtained on each patient using a specific anonymous data collection form.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We obtained and analyzed for the study 547forms. Mean patient age was 66.1 years, mean ejection fraction was 36.6%. Coronary artery disease accounted for 34.6% of congestive heart failure cases, followed by idiopathic etiology (26.4%). Main comorbidities were diabetes (22.3%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (17.7%). Sixty-nine% of patients received a medical treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, 72.6% with beta-blockers, 48.8% with aldosterone antagonists. As far as diagnostic resource use during a six-month period preceeding observation, 46.8% of patients underwent echocardiographic examination, 9.9% Holter ECG, 6.0% coronary angiography. Therapy was more often increased in patients who underwent an instrumental evaluation during the preceeding six-month period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Data suggests that in Piedmont outpatients with chronic heart failure receive a high drug prescription level and a small number of instrumental evaluations, as suggested in main international guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Cardiologia Universitaria Osp. Molinette (TO), Via Santorre di Santarosa 19-I-10131 Torino, Italy. nicolo.montali@gmail.com
authors.forename: Nicolò
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Montali
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bobbio
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cerrato
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Azzaro
authors.forename: Bianca
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bianchini
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bonzano
authors.forename: Maria Vincenza
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Calì
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cavaliere
authors.forename: Livio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Correndo
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Deorsola
authors.forename: Regine
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Guillevin
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mainardi
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Montagna
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pistono
authors.forename: Gian Paolo
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Trevi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000453:epidemiology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000453:epidemiology