Heart Risk 6 Scale in Emergency Department Acute Heart Failure Patients

Other illness

• Patients who did not fit the definition of AHF or who were clearly too ill to be considered for discharge after 24 hours from ED:
  • 1\) resting oxygen saturation \<85% on room air
  • 2\) heart rate \>120 beats/min;
  • 3\) systolic blood pressure \<85 mm Hg;
  • 4\) confusion, disorientation, dementia;
  • 5\) primary presentation for ischemic chest pain requiring treatment or with acute ischemic ST-Tchanges on initial electrocardiogram (ECG);

• patients who have appropriate symptoms (short-ness of breath or fatigue)(\<7 days duration); with clinical signs of fluid retention (pulmonary or peripheral) in the presence of an underlying abnormality of cardiac structure or function.
  • If in doubt, a beneficial response to treatment (eg, a brisk diuresis accompanied by improvement in breathlessness) will be considered.