title: Clinical characteristics, management and outcomes of patients with chronic heart failure: Results from the heart function assessment registry trial in Saudi Arabia (HEARTS-chronic).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Several registries have described patients hospitalized with heart failure (HF), but only few looked at outpatients in the ambulatory setting mostly without long-term follow-up. We sought to determine the clinical characteristics, management, and 1-year outcomes of patients with chronic HF in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Part of a prospective multicenter nationwide registry; HEart function Assessment Registry Trial in Saudi Arabia (HEARTS) and included chronic HF patients referred to four HFCs between September 2009 and December 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled 685 patients with mean age 55.66±15.97years, 70.1% were men and 96.1% were Saudis. The main etiologies of HF were CAD (38.8%), dilated cardiomyopathy (36.5%), and hypertension (10.5%). Severe left ventricular dysfunction was present in 70.6% and median NT-proBNP was 2934.37pg/ml. The prescription rates of evidence based therapies (EBTs) before admission to HFC, at discharge from 1st clinic visit, and at 1-year follow up were 90%, 91% and 94% for beta-blockers, 79%, 80%, and 86% for ACEi/ARBs and 44%, 45%, and 42% for aldosterone antagonists; respectively. ICD was inserted in 21.9% and CRT in 6.6% at enrollment and increased to 29.1% and 8.8% after one year respectively. The all-cause mortality rate at 1year was 9% and 93.7% of which was cardiac-related. The all-cause one-year hospitalization rate was 39% and the total emergency room visit rate was 50%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chronic HF patients in Saudi Arabia are younger, commonly have severe LV systolic dysfunction and have relatively high annual mortality and re-hospitalization rates.
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: walhabeeb@ksu.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Waleed
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Alhabeeb
authors.affiliation: King Salman Heart Center, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Cardiology Department, Tanta University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Abdelfatah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Elasfar
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: AlBackr
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fayez
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: AlShaer
authors.affiliation: Prince Sultan Cardiac Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Almasood
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hussam
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Alfaleh
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Tarek
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kashour
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hersi
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Kazi Nur
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Asfina
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hani
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Altaradi
authors.affiliation: King Salman Heart Center, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Faculty of Medicine, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Waleed
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: AlShaqhaa
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Fakhr
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alayoubi
authors.affiliation: King Fahad cardiac Center, College of Medicine, Department of Cardiac Sciences, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Khalid F
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: AlHabib
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009026:Mortality; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000032:analysis; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000032:analysis; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D063189:Symptom Assessment / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000451:Mineralocorticoid Receptor Antagonists; D010446:Peptide Fragments; C109794:pro-brain natriuretic peptide (1-76); D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain
keywords: Chronic heart failure; Middle East; Registry