Decreased cardiac output: clinical validation in patients with decompensated heart failure.
OBJECTIVE
Clinically validate (using Fehring's model) characteristics of the nursing diagnosis (ND) of decreased cardiac output (DCO) in 29 patients with decompensated heart failure.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study conducted in a Brazilian university hospital.


RESULTS
According to the reliability rate (R) between the experts, the major characteristics (R ≥ 0.80) were fatigue, dyspnea, edema, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, and elevated central venous pressure, and the secondary characteristics were weight gain, hepatomegaly, jugular vein distension, palpitations, crackles, oliguria, coughing, clammy skin, and skin color changes.


CONCLUSIONS
Characteristics with R > 0.50 and ≤1 were valid in the ND of DCO. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NURSING PRACTICE: Clinical validation studies are necessary to determine the adequacy of this diagnosis and its determining characteristics with Taxonomy II.
Martins
Quenia Camille Soares
QC
Postgraduate Program of the School of Nursing, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Aliti
Graziella
G
Rabelo
Eneida Rejane
ER
D001938:Brazil; D002303:Cardiac Output, Low / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000451:nursing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results