title: Characteristics of Intensive Care in Patients Hospitalized for Heart Failure in Europe.
abstract: Patients hospitalized for acute heart failure (AHF) may clinically decompensate and experience life-threatening complications. Regional differences in intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates have been reported by European registries. Variations regarding ICU bed and facilities availability may contribute to these geographic differences. ICU triage decision requires cautious clinical judgment to balance between clinical benefit of ICU care and associated risk and cost. In Europe, despite large variations in treatment practices, in-hospital mortality of AHF patients managed in ICUs is similar, suggesting that high-risk characteristics of AHF patients admitted to ICUs, rather than geographic variation in intensity of therapies, may be the principal determinant of prognosis.
authors.affiliation: ICCU and Cardiology 1st Department, Institute of Emergency for Cardiovascular Diseases "C.C.Iliescu", University of Medicine Carol Davila, sos Fundeni, no 258, Bucharest sect 2, Romania. Electronic address: ochioncel@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Ovidiu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Chioncel
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, Hôpital Lariboisière, DAR, Hôpitaux Universitaires Saint Louis Lariboisière, APHP, University Paris Diderot, 2 Rue A Paré, Paris Cedex 10 75475, France.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mebazaa
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Acute heart failure; Cardiac intensive care; Therapies