title: [Signs and symptoms in patients with decompensated heart failure: inference of priority nursing diagnoses].
abstract: The aim of this study is to identify the signs and symptoms of patients admitted for decompensated heart failure (HF) in order to infer the priority nursing diagnoses (ND). This is a cross-sectional study undertaken in a university hospital. The data were collected by nurses trained to deal with HF and registered in a file containing identification items, and demographic and clinical variables. We included 303 patients. Most patients were in emergency departments (95.7%) with functional class III (65.7%). The signs and symptoms identified at the time of admission were dyspnea (91.4%), paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (87.5%), fatigue (67.3%), edema (63.7%), orthopnea (55.4 %) and jugular vein distention (28.7%). From the signs and symptoms raised, that became the set of relevant clues and consistent as an indicator for ND, we conclude that Decreased Cardiac Output and Fluid Volume Excess diagnoses were the priorities for this population.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Cardiologia e Ciências Cardiovasculares da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.
authors.forename: Graziella Badin
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Aliti
authors.forename: Joelza Celesilvia Chisté
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Linhares
authors.forename: Graciele Fernanda da Costa
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Linch
authors.forename: Karen Brasil
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Ruschel
authors.forename: Eneida Rejane
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Rabelo
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009733:Nursing Diagnosis