[Causes of death analysis in 133 congestive heart failure patients].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the causes of death in patients with heart failure.


METHODS
A total of 133 heart failure patients died during hospitalization in our hospital between January 2005 and December 2008 were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided to two groups: sudden death (group A, n = 73, 54.9%), chronic end-stage pump failure (group B, n = 55, 41.4%). The remaining 5 cases died of other causes were excluded from the final analysis. Clinical data (medical history, blood pressure, clinical manifestation, NYHA cardiac function class, left ventricular diameter of diastole, left ventricular ejection fraction, ventricular arrhythmias, drug therapy) of group A and B were analyzed.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in terms of medical history (including hypertension and diabetes), blood pressure, heart rate and the incidence of ventricular arrhythmia between the two groups. In group A, the NYHA functional class was mostly II or III grade, and LVEF value was significantly higher than that of group B. The incidence of angina pectoris was significantly higher in group A compared to group B. beta-blocker and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin II receptor blocker use was also significantly higher in group A than in group B, however, the treatment dose was significantly lower and therapy duration was significantly shorter in group A than in group B. There were significantly less patients received statins and anti-platelet aggregation drugs in group A compared to group B.


CONCLUSIONS
In our patient cohort, sudden cardiac death often occurred in heart failure patients with NYHA cardiac function II to III grade, angina pectoris, probably due to the unstable coronary plaque and less statins and anti-platelet drug use in these patients.
Department of Cardiology, First Clinical Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
Dong-xiu
DX
Xu
Xiao-wei
XW
Xu
Cui-ling
CL
Ji
Ying
Y
Song
Li-ting
LT
Gong
Xiu-fen
XF
Qu
Yong-lin
YL
Huang
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002423:Cause of Death; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000401:mortality*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome