Spanish Journal of Medicine (Jul 2021)
Prognostic and therapeutic stratification through the PROFUND scale in patients with heart failure and comorbidities: PROFUND-IC registry
Abstract
Introduction: The increase in life expectancy and the aging of the population are associated with an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases. Comorbidities have an important impact on prognosis and functional capacity leading to a progressive deterioration of autonomy and quality of life and an increase in demand for medical care. Establishment of an accurate prognosis constitutes one of the primary objectives in healthcare. An accurate estimate of prognosis helps clinicians make diagnostic and therapeutic decisions, prevent iatrogenesis, and consider palliative care strategy as needed. It also allows the patient and family members to organize their preferences and priorities. Objective: To evaluate the PROFUND scale in patients with heart failure from a prognostic point of view. Methods: A multicenter cohort study including patients admitted for heart failure to internal medicine departments over a 6-month period will be carried out. Inclusion criteria are patients with a diagnosis of heart failure and at least two criteria of multipathological patients and NT-proBNP >1500 pg/ml upon admission. The PROFUND scale will be applied to all patients. Patients will be then stratified into four groups according to the PROFUND scale: low, moderate, moderate-high and high mortality risk. Conclusion: Our work is a prospective study that aims to apply the PROFUND scale to patients with heart failure in the hospital setting with the purpose of helping in decision-making with our patients, which could lead to improvements in the management of resources in our health system.